About
Judges are not politicians, even when they come to the bench by way of the ballot. And a State’s decision to elect its judiciary does not compel it to treat judicial candidates like campaigners for political office. A State may assure its people that judges will apply the law without fear or favor.
~ Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
Who We Are
The Judicial System
Our Constitutions, state and federal, create three co-equal branches of government: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. The “political branches,” the Executive and Legislative, make and carry out the laws to promote a political agenda. Executive and Legislative branch officials run for office with a political platform and make campaign promises.
Justices and Judges are different.
- Judges cannot promise anything, other than to be fair and impartial.
- Judges take an oath to administer justice without fear or favoritism, and to be free of outside influence.
- Judges must be different than the other political branches to protect the integrity and effectiveness of our system.
- Judges should be elected or appointed based on integrity, professionalism, competence, judicial temperament, professional excellence, and commitment to public service and the administration of justice.
Fair and impartial courts are indispensable to the functioning of American democracy. That’s why our Constitution created a judicial system designed to stand apart from politics and to protect individual rights of all Americans. Americans depend on strong courts to uphold the Constitution and to rule on every case fairly and impartially without fear or favor.
The Informed Voters Fair Judges Project (“IVP”) is a program of the Judicial Independence Committee of the National Association of Women Judges (“NAWJ”), a nationwide non-partisan organization of judges from around the country. We are proud to have partnered in this civic education initiative with the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Defendant Research Initiative.
Politics and special interests have no place in American Courts. The Informed Voters Fair Judges Project is working to inform voters that politics, big money and special interests have no place in the judicial branch. Justice depends on fair and impartial judges who are evaluated based on character and integrity.
What We Do
The Problem
The number of attacks on judges has increased, and the identities of the individuals involved are often not easily traced. Groups and individuals have emerged with the intent of spending large sums of money to influence the selection of justices and judges. Some have launched attack campaigns on sitting supreme court justices, hoping to replace them with ones they believe will be more inclined to favor their particular agenda. These forces spend time and money attacking justices whose decisions or backgrounds they do not like, without regard to the skill experience or integrity of the one being attacked. Their methods are by now familiar: distortions of the facts surrounding decisions, accusations of corruption when decisions are unfavorable, unflattering photos, negative ads, or personal attacks on individual judges. These efforts undermine the oaths of impartiality that justices and judges take and threaten the integrity of the role of the judicial branch.
We cannot let those who want to politicize our courts replace or dissuade fair-minded justices with ones who are willing to follow an agenda rather than the oath to be fair and impartial.
The Solution
Studies have shown a relationship between a deeper public understanding of the judicial branch and a corresponding interest in protecting the independence of the Courts. The Informed Voters Fair Judges project was developed in 2012 to educate voters about the constitutional role of the judicial branch and to protect our courts from outside influence. Through education, IVP seeks to build trust and confidence in fair and impartial courts.
IVP has created a broad array of educational resources, both in English and Spanish, to ensure that judges, legal professionals, and other educators can explain the problem to our citizens and teach them how to become more informed voters in judicial elections. IVP serves as both a reliable source of accurate nonpartisan judicial information for voters and juries and a support system for judges seeking to protect fair and impartial courts. Available materials include:
- Educational non-partisan materials for use with community outreach presentations;
- Jury assembly educational resources, including an Emmy Award-winning video; and
- Services for customizing materials and presentations on the judicial branch and judicial selection for your state.
Recent surveys show that the American public’s confidence in courts is at the lowest point this century.
“This lack of confidence threatens the viability of the court system.”
~ N. Katyal, ABA
Who is doing something about it?
WE ARE at NAWJ/IVP
Our Mission
Strengthening Courts Through Education. Our mission is to educate citizens about the constitutional role of the judiciary and empower the voting public to protect the sanctity of the judicial system. We seek to safeguard the independence of our courts and protect the important work of judges from outside influence and attack, thereby ensuring fair and impartial courts for all.
IVP LEADERSHIP
Chief Justice Debra Stephens, Washington
Co-Chair
Justice Robin Hudson, Ret., North Carolina
Co-Chair
Annette Boyd Pitts, Florida
Co-Chair
Informed Voters ⇒ Impartial Judges ⇒ Equal Justice
Have questions or comments about the Informed Voters Fair Judges Project? We would love to hear from you.
Address
National Office:
1725 I Street NW
Suite 300
Washington DC, 20006
Phone
(202) 393-0222