Goverment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Goverment 2 - Essay Example In Texas, the governor could fill any position in an Appellate or district court left vacant by resignation, death, or new positions created by the county commissioners’ court which is the governing body. The vacant positions are filled until the next election is conducted and then they seek re-election. The judicial system in Texas has had numerous appointments by the governor as the judges upon retirement they resign to allow the governors fill the positions as they can be trusted with choosing a replacement unlike the voters would o in a ballot. The straight – ticket voting in Texas has led to many Democratic office holders lose their positions to the unknown Republican challengers who have minimal or no judicial and courtroom experience; in 1994, Republican candidates who lacked judicial experience defeated 16 incumbent Democrats while one Democrat was re-elected in Harris County. In the same year, Steve Mansfield was elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest court for criminal cases in Texas whilst he lacked experience in criminal law. The other problem is the effect of candidate judges campaign contributions so as to secure a position in the judiciary; Chief Justice John Hill spent over $1 million so as to ensure a win in the elections in 1984, a prospective candidate spent over $2 million in the 1988 elections, and the contributions for the campaign usually come from the law firms that need to do business with the judges they give money. In 1995, the Supreme Court of Texas established a commission to solve the problems and queries of the judicial selection system. The commission was referred to as the Commission on Judicial Reforms (Geyh, 2006). According to Missouri plans, appointments in the judiciary, the arrangement permitting lawyers to create power centre within the judiciary. This is to ensure that judiciary maintains some corrective