Grisham: ‘Got to get away from elected judges’
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Jerry Mitchell
Source: Clarion Ledger
Date: 2/3/2008
Article reports that "lawyer-turned-author" John Grisham says that "Mississippi should switch to appointed judges to stem the tide of corruption." In his book, "The Appeal," Grisham tells the fictional story of a CEO billionaire who attempts to unseat a Mississippi Supreme Court justice he feels will rule against his appeal. Grisham said that the idea for the book came out of his "reading about special interests pumping millions of dollars into judicial races." Along with an appointed system as a potential reform, Grisham mentioned North Carolina, "where the state has kept elections but eliminated private funding." Grisham said that "groveling for votes and support" takes away a judge's independence.