In theory, judgeships are elected positions. In reality, many judges in the 10th Judicial Circuit initially reached the bench through appointments by a governor.
That makes the circuit’s Judicial Nominating Commission one of the most influential bodies in Polk County, even if few residents could name any of its members — if they are even aware of its existence.
The commission screens applicants for judicial openings and passes on nominations to the governor. In recent years, those nominees tend heavily toward prosecutors. As a result, when a defendant enters a courtroom in the 10th Judicial Circuit, the presiding judge is likely to be a former assistant state attorney, someone who would have once been in a position to seek their conviction…