Look at that – actually having facts that are relevant when reviewing a judges qualifications! And it only took 138 years (ok, not that many, but close we’re sure)!

At 138 years of age, Virginia’s method of evaluating incumbent judges is getting some new teeth.By next year, legislators who determine whether a sitting judge is qualified for reappointment to the bench will have access to data culled from attorney surveys that rate a judge’s performance. While the measure does not subtract from the legislature’s judge-making power, it is a significant change to what largely has been a subjective way of evaluating judges.Proponents of the Judicial Performance Evaluation (JPE) Program, approved by the General Assembly in 2005, believe the new data it generates will improve the quality of judges at all levels, and guard against purely political calculations from influencing who remains a judge. Sixteen other states have implemented similar programs, according to the National Center for State Courts.In Virginia, the program currently sends out surveys to attorneys who appear before a given judge three times during his or her term. Respondents grade the judge on criteria ranging from fairness to demeanor and punctuality, and their ratings are tabulated into an aggregate report by a research lab.

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