Judge Judy

Interesting article by Dan Abendschein about the lack of info out there on county judges who are elected to the bench. I'm sure that if Judge Judy were to run, she'd win hands down.

County judges have the power to sentence criminals, settle contentious civil disputes and decide the legality of local ordinances.

Choosing who gets to make these important decisions rests with voters.

But local bar association officials, judicial candidates and sitting judges agree that residents often know very little about the people they choose.

"Judges can have more impact on people then their local legislator," said Brent Braun, who evaluates judicial candidates as part of a committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. "Yet many people choose the person on the ballot because they like their name or because they only want to vote for a prosecutor or for some other arbitrary reason."