The State Journal editorial board, as part of its 2008 agenda, recommends that Wisconsin replace its Supreme Court elections with a merit selection system.
Good merit selection systems choose justices by their qualifications rather than by political warfare.

Under the best forms of merit selection, an independent committee seeks out and reviews candidates, evaluating them on competence, fairness and experience. The review process invites public input.

The committee recommends a short list of finalists to the governor or another appointing authority, who is required to make the appointment from the list, which is made public.

Justices are held accountable for their performance in one of two ways. Either the selection committee conducts periodic evaluations with the right to remove a poor-performing justice, or voters decide to retain or remove the justice in an up-or-down, uncontested election at the end of the term.

Merit selection is not a perfect solution. But it better assures impartial justice and restores public trust in the court.