The variety of methods used for selecting judges in different countries reflects the different approaches adopted to determine the role of the judiciary in each particular system of government. The use of direct elections in the United States at the state level, for example, is an indication of the fact that judges in the United States are viewed as powerful agents of the state in a system of government that has a strong historical commitment to direct elections at state level. More commonly in democratic systems, particularly those based on an Anglo-U.S. common law system, the democratic input is less direct, leaving the choice of judge to the executive, with or without the involvement of a judicial appointments commission of some form.

Judicial appointment by a government minister is intended to ensure a degree of political accountability in the process while removing the danger that...