Good judges matter

The judiciary is an often overlooked and seldom understood branch of government. It is a branch of government, though, that has significant influence over our daily lives. Judges make decisions every day that affect our health care, community safety, and our economy.

Sadly, most people ignore the judicial branch of government.

Judicial races often do not enjoy the same level of interest as other races, but certainly the outcomes of these races have as much if not more impact on our daily lives.

Nothing brings this point home better than the recent decision by the Illinois Supreme Court to strike down the state's medical malpractice reform law.

In a 4-2 decision in the Abigaile Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital case, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the state's medical malpractice reform law, ruling that the caps provisions in the law violated the separation of powers clause in the Illinois Constitution. Two of the four justices up for retention this year voted to strike down the medical malpractice reform law.

This outrageous decision to overturn the will of the people and a supermajority of their elected representatives proves that judicial elections do matter. Judges wield extraordinary and largely unchallenged power.

Good judges strive to wield this power wisely, which is why we as citizens need to pay attention to the individuals we elect to serve on the bench. The foundation of a properly functioning system of justice begins with the outcome of these judicial elections. Judicial races usually appear at the very end of the ballot - a ballot that will likely be very long this year. But as the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn the bipartisan reform law has shown, too much is at stake this year to skip these important retention questions.