In 1846, New York tore up the old way of putting judges on the bench. Judges would face voters, just like everyone else in government. Nineteen states called constitutional conventions between 1844 and 1853 largely to copy that reform, and from 1846 to 1860, only two states even proposed keeping the old appointive system on the books. Voters rejected both. Americans decided, almost unanimously, that if a judge could rule on your life, your land, and your laws, that judge should have to answer to you. This week, Kansas walked away from that promise. . .
