Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Open Access Honors Program Thesis
First Advisor
C. Scott Peters
Abstract
States vary widely in their judicial selection systems, with some seeking more judicial accountability and others preferring more independence. Most states, including Iowa, strike a perceived balance between independence and accountability with the implementation of the Missouri (Merit) Plan. With gubernatorial nomination from selected candidates chosen by a committee, judges must only directly face the electorate every few years. Retention elections provide near certainty that a judge will continue to serve. In 2010, the Iowa electorate shattered the norms because all three Supreme Court justices failed to retain their seats. We examine county-level voter characteristic variables and construct a model that successfully identifies partisanship, religious adherence, and public advertisements as the primary drivers for extraordinary vote results and ballot roll-off figures.
Year of Submission
12-2011
Department
Department of Political Science
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
8-9-2023
Object Description
1 PDF file (42 pages)
Copyright
©2011 Andrew John Clopton
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Clopton, Andrew John, "Justices Denied: The 2010 Iowa Supreme Court Retention Election" (2011). Honors Program Theses. 882.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/882
Comments
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