Judges and elections. It’s that time in the cycle—it’s a 24-month cycle—when ballots appear and people call/email/instant message me about the judges. “Who do I vote for” is the common question.

Arizona has a modified merit selection plan. Merit selection applies to our Supreme Court, Court of Appeals (Divisions 1 and 2), and to Superior Court (trial court) judges in counties with more than 250,000 people. (Right now, there are three:  Maricopa; Pima; and Pinal.)

In non-merit selection counties, trial judges get elected. They raise money, they holler about being tougher on crime than their opponent, and absent a scandal or one candidate being a real jerk, they’re popularity contests.

In merit selection counties and for the appellate courts,

The U.S. Supreme Court works on a schedule akin to your child’s long obsolete school schedule, which was based on an agrarian economy. Kids needed to work the fields during the summer months, so there was no school. (Schools have figured out how much time they spend in the early fall, bringing children back up to where they left off in May, which explains why so many families have Augustus Interruptus when it comes to vacations.) Not so justices, probably ever, and certainly not now! (I’m working on getting information about the origins of the summer vacation; if I get good information, I’ll report it.)

The 2014-15 term begins on October 6, the first Monday in October. (For film buffs,

~ In for a dime, in for a dollar! Here’s Mark Rubin Writes on same sex marriage.

In Windsor v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court held unconstitutional that portion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—Section 3—which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Windsor forced the federal government to accept marriages entered into lawfully in any state or foreign country. Windsor did not, however, address state same sex marriage laws.

Since Windsor, and relying on its due process/equal protection rationale, trial and appellate courts have found state same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional, with one exception. Many cases are pending. Utah and Virginia, so far, are seeking relief in the Supreme Court.

The Court