Members of a special commission set up to recommend changes in the state's court system were right to surprise some observers by failing to make a suggestion that many expected.
Gov. Joe Manchin established the Independent Commission on Judical Reform earlier this year. It was a blue-ribbon panel, the luster of which was enhanced by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's agreement to serve as honorary chairwoman.
Commission members were to explore several issues, but the key question before them was whether judges and appeals court justices should be picked through elections. Some critics of the current system have said that electing judges and justices leads to questions about the jurists' objectivity. That is especially so because candidates rely on campaign contributions that often come from those who, as lawyers, plaintiffs or defendants, may appear in court.
O'Connor had made it clear that she favors a system whereby judges and appeals court justices are appointed, not elected. But the majority on the commission did not agree with that. When the panel's report was issued, there was no recommendation to do away with elections for judges and justices.
We agree with the commission. As we have pointed out previously, there simply is no way to keep politics - or the appearance of it - out of the process of selecting judges and justices. Appointing them would merely raise new questions about political influence.
In general, we believe the commission did a good job in weighing the evidence and coming to conclusions. Manchin and legislators should look carefully at the panel's recommendations, and implement those that seem right for West Virginians.