Stop Treating Judicial Elections Like a Popularity Contest

How Cuyahoga County’s judge races became uncontested coronations — and why that must change.

This one is short, but it is important. It is about electing judges. Every election cycle, voters in Northeast Ohio see a long list of judicial seats on the ballot. Municipal courts. Common Pleas. Appeals courts. Probate. Juvenile. The Ohio Supreme Court.

These positions impact every part of our lives, from traffic violations to wrongful death lawsuits, from custody battles to felony trials that determine whether someone spends life behind bars.

And out of every elected position in this state, judges receive the least scrutiny. They get the biggest paychecks and the most autonomy, yet we vet them the least.

A Common Pleas judge in Ohio makes around one hundred eighty thousand dollars a year. That is more than one point one million dollars over a six year term. Taxpayer money. Guaranteed. For a job where one individual controls the docket, the schedule, the tone of the courtroom, and the outcomes that shape lives.

In Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County, you can see this play out every cycle. Judges campaign like traditional politicians. They shake hands. They appear at ward club meetings. They smile in photos with whoever will stand next to them. They sell their LinkedIn bullet points to the public. They get endorsements from party insiders who often cannot point to a single decision that judge has actually made on the bench.

The problem is not one judge. It is the process.

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Judges Have Massive Power. We Treat It Like a Popularity Contest

For almost every other office, there are checks and balances. A city council member is one voice among several. A mayor cannot pass anything without cooperation. A state legislator must work within a chamber. Even the governor has limits.

But in a courtroom, it is one judge who sets the rules. One judge who determines credibility. One judge who controls the clock. One judge who can delay hearings for months or push cases through at light speed. One judge whose interpretation of the law can change the trajectory of a family, a business, a life.

Yet when these candidates come to political club meetings in Northeast Ohio, they rarely get asked real questions. No one presses them on how they manage their docket. No one asks about their courtroom efficiency. No one digs into their past decisions, even when those decisions shaped outcomes for hundreds of families.

Instead, far too often, judges are elected based on good vibes. They seem friendly. They had a nice conversation. They showed up to breakfast at the union hall. They took a selfie with a popular senator. And for that alone, voters hand over one of the most powerful positions in our democracy.

We would never hire anyone else for a one point one million dollar job this way.

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I Am Guilty of This Too

I am not pointing fingers without pointing one at myself. There have been times when I supported a judge because I liked them. Because they showed up. Because they were personable. Because they had the right letter next to their name.

That is not good enough. Not for a job where one person’s decision can determine whether a kid gets a second chance or enters the prison system. Not for a job that decides whether working families win their civil cases or get crushed by a corporation with deep pockets. Not for a job that shapes public safety, fairness, and trust in our entire legal system.

We owe the public better than that.

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Northeast Ohio’s Real Problem: No Competition

In Cuyahoga County, the lack of competition is staggering. Many judicial races have only one candidate. In a county that votes heavily Democratic, the primary becomes the real election. And far too often, the primary has been cleared before it even starts. It is a waiting-your-turn culture. A handshake-and-a-nod culture. A “this is our person” culture. And if it doesn’t happen that way… then the candidate cries (literally).

That is not democracy.

Robust primaries force ideas. They force answers. They force candidates to explain how they operate their courtroom, how they treat defendants, how they manage their caseload, and how they interpret the law. When you clear the field, you rob the public of the chance to ask the hard questions.

And judges should face the hardest questions of all.

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We Need Higher Standards For One Of The Most Powerful Jobs In America

Choosing a judge should mean doing real due diligence. Asking about their philosophy. Watching their courtroom. Reading their rulings. Understanding how they treat defendants who cannot afford attorneys versus those who can. Demanding answers when they avoid transparency.

We all say we care about criminal justice. We care about wrongful convictions. We care about fairness. We care about public safety. We care about efficiency. But those values mean nothing if we hand judicial seats to people who have not earned the right to wield that power.

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It Is Time To Do Better

I am going to do better. I am going to dig deeper. I am going to ask harder questions. I am going to treat judicial elections with the seriousness they deserve, and I hope you do too.

A judge is not just another politician. They are the final decision maker on some of the most important moments of our lives. We cannot keep electing them based on name recognition and social media selfies.

We need scrutiny. We need competition. We need accountability. We need real vetting.

And if we want justice in Northeast Ohio to actually work, then we need to start treating these elections like they matter.

Because they do.