42 state Supreme Court judgeships on ballot Tuesday
By Dan Wiessner and Joseph Ax
Thomson Reuters
November 7, 2011
Excerpt:
But in judicial elections, the leaders of county Democratic and Republican parties often agree to back the same candidate. Typically, the nominee will come from the dominant party; in New York, that’s almost always the Democrats, though Republicans hold the upper hand in parts of upstate. Critics of cross-endorsement say the practice essentially allows party bosses to pick a winner before the election even takes place.
“Cross-endorsement would seem to imply a broad consensus of support, but in the context of New York judicial elections, it merely means that rival party leaders have come together to protect themselves from their own party members,” said James Sample, a professor at Hofstra University Law School who has studied judicial elections in the state.
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