Find Ways to Hold Judges Accountable

Editorial
San Antonio Express-News
December 16, 2003

A government is only as good as its system of checks and balances.

Without accountability, officials can be tempted to stretch the limits because no one is monitoring them.

As Sunday's Insight cover story by Express-News editorial writer Gloria Padilla underscored, some judges in the civil court system in Bexar County are doing more than their fair share of the work while others are slacking off.

Padilla discovered that some judges habitually arrive late and leave early, but no records are kept and the judges are accountable to no one.

Overall, the Bexar County civil court system appears to operate smoothly. It boasts impressive statistics in handling lawsuits.

Cases go to trial within seven to eight months, while similar cases in the other 253 counties in the state may languish for years before they can be heard. Thus, the team effort can be ranked a success.

One judge compared the operation to a crew of oarsmen rowing a boat. If three of the 12 oarsmen slack off, the other nine have to work that much harder. When the race is won, no one looks at individual effort; the entire team gets credit.

While the judges are accountable only to the voters, the voters have no way to judge their performance. In fact, they have little clue who the judges are and what they do on a daily basis — unless they become involved in a lawsuit or are called for jury duty. Then, they will become acquainted with a single judge.

Judges have never been held accountable for their work ethic. Over the years, they have fought attempts to establish accountability measures, such as regular hours or specific rules on vacations.

Such lack of accountability is unheard of in the private sector.

As employers demand more productivity from their employees and the government holds children in public schools and their teachers accountable, it is time for the local judiciary to establish ways to measure the performance of its judges.

Local voters must be able to make informed decisions about the men and women who play a vital role in the life of this community.

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