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Judge Reform
Eliminate laws favoring judges over other citizens
Since judges are in a natural position of power it is natural over time they would create laws to favor themselves over other citizens. Since the average citizen does not know the law that well and is typically intimidated by the judge it is not likely that he even thinks of how a judge favors himself over others. But it is at the heart of what is wrong with our legal system. The lack of any realistic disciplining system to expose the bad apples among our flawed fellow humans who happen to be judges causes bad law to accrue.
Texas
The more a state district judge’s salary is the more the legislators retirement benefits are.
If legislators wish to increase their retirement benefits they must increase the salary of state district judges because the law has been set up that way.
Process subverting right of being heard by a jury of ones peers as required by the constitution.
Laws and the legal system have been set up to force settlement to both reduce judge’s dockets and strongly discourage the losing party from appealing. When a verdict is issued by a jury the judge has 30 days to award attorney’s fees against the loser and the loser has 30 days to file an appeal. A game of chicken ensues. If the loser does not file an appeal than the judge does not assess exorbitant attorney’s fees against the loser. If the loser does file an appeal than the judge does assess the exorbitant attorney’s fees against the loser. Knowing this the loser often is intimidated against filing an appeal protecting the judge from his errors being exposed.
Judges are allowed to receive more contributions from large law firms than individuals
There is potentially a greater chance of a conflict of interest in the case of its relationship with a law firm than with an individual as the law firm is continually in the judges courtroom. Yet according to the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act passed in 1995 law firms in Texas are allowed to contribute $30,000 each to judges whereas individuals are allowed to contribute only $5,000.
Judges require extensive questionnaires to be complete under oath by prospective jurors invading their privacy
It is doubtful that they would subject themselves to the same questioning.
Each judge has his own courtroom even though they are used sparingly.
Pick a day—any day—and visit the state district courtrooms in any metropolitan area. In Houston the usual complaint is that it takes a late-week, afternoon stroll through the civil or criminal courts buildings to realize how few elected judges are still conducting court or even are in their chambers. Yet the cost of staffing and operating these courtrooms is estimated at more than half-million dollars a year. A good scheduling process could reduce the cost of providing courtrooms across the state by utilizing them more nearly to capacity.
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