We intend in this project to show that the severity of felony sentences imposed by elected trial court judges in the state of Washington is highest in court districts where constituents are disposed toward a punitive approach to combating crime and lowest in districts favoring more leniency in...

Recent trends in judicial elections, including expensive rough-and-tumble campaigns characterized by televised attack advertising and politicized discourse, are causing advocacy groups and legal scholars to condemn the practice of electing judges. This paper addresses an important aspect of this...