It's more difficult to hold elected judges accountable. An impeachment removing a judge put in place by a non-partisan vote is a bigger deal than impeachment of

It's more difficult to hold elected judges accountable. An impeachment removing a judge put in place by a non-partisan vote is a bigger deal than impeachment of someone appointment by the governor. (Though, West Virginia did impeach their entire state Supreme Court for dodgy spending a few years ago.[^1]) This judge was elected 3 times. But most people will blindly reelect the existing judges. That's hardly surprising since in most states reviewing a judge's performance takes some effort. For example, here's Colorado's.[^2] A quick Google search didn't seem to turn up anything equivalent in West Virginia. But if you want to dive deeper into how judicial misconduct can go unchecked, you should read about the PA Cash for Kids Scandal.[^3] However, I don't want to give the impression that I think this is a common problem. Watch proceedings in any random Zoom/YouTube court proceeding and you'll find judges faithfully applying the law.[^4] But when misconduct does happen, it's really bad. [1]: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/all-west-virginia-s-supreme-court-justices-impeached-over-spending-n900461 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/all-west-virginia-s-sup... [2]: https://judicialperformance.colorado.gov/2022-judicial-performance-evaluations https://judicialperformance.colorado.gov/2022-judicial-perfo... [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal [4]: Many of Michigan and Georgia's courts are still broadcasting live on YouTube if you're actually curious.