Good Judges Matter

When we turn on the radio, flip on our televisions, and go online, we are being bombarded with political discourse. Whether it is candidate advertising, news coverage, debates or social media discussion, the Election is everywhere we turn.

The one thing we do not hear much about is judicial elections.

Judges have more power than you might think and well beyond civil justice. Judges help determine the strength and growth of communities. Unfortunately, personal injury lawyers often team up with bad judges and compromise the fairness of our courts. There are judicial hellholes across the country that are plagued by bad judges who are under the influence of personal injury lawyers.

This is why good judges matter. Judges have the power to sanction personal injury lawyers who game the system and file frivolous lawsuits that have no real connection to the state where they are filed. We know firsthand in my state – Illinois. Out-of-state person injury lawyers have flooded our state to take advantage of judges who favor them. Judges have the power to dismiss frivolous lawsuits and prevent personal injury lawyers from gaming the system, but too often bad judges turn a blind eye. We need judges whose actions can help spur job growth by maintaining fairness in their court rooms.

Voters need to pay attention to judicial elections and pay special attention to who is funding the campaigns. In many cases, judges receive the vast majority of their campaign contributions from personal injury lawyers. These lawyers know they can cash in on frivolous lawsuits when they have the judges they want in the courtroom. In Illinois, personal injury lawyers have essentially turned the courts in several of our downstate counties into their own personal – and profitable – playgrounds.

Stopping lawsuit abuse starts with us casting votes for good judges to serve in our courts. Make your vote count on November 8^th.

Travis Akin is the Executive Director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch.