Who decides: Still think who gets to appoint judges doesn't matter?

You have probably skipped over the boxes on your ballot many times -- or simply checked a random name because you really did not know for whom you should vote.

Not many of us think about the effect the election of a judge can have on a community or the issues that we care about.

No matter which side you are on -- the reality is stunning -- several key issues regarding the future of this nation were decided by a handful of Americans, simply because they wear judge's robes.

And there are many people who think that is a dangerous precedent to set.

And just so we are clear, keep in mind that some of the state and federal judges who are making these decisions -- and who will make future decisions about issues that affect your life -- are appointed by the men and women you elect into high office.

Republican or Democrat. Conservative or liberal. It does not matter. Control of the judiciary is critical to the advancement of any agenda. And a court can have a significant influence on how that pendulum swings.

This is not a perfect process, not the "justice is blind" or "just according to the law" claim that you hear all the time. When a judge -- or justice -- is appointed, the politician appointing him or her has studied his or her rulings and has an idea on which side of the "law" he or she leans.

In some cases, the way judges are appointed is more about connections and politics -- and leanings -- than actual impartiality.

It is never "just about the law," but, rather a matter of interpretation of the law.

We as a nation are going to have to decide just how we want our country to be run -- by judges who legislate or by the will of the people and the election of leaders who support those ideas.

The American judicial system has some scary components -- lifetime appointments, no way to get rid of a judge who is a rogue and an electorate that does not understand how it works.

No matter on which side of the pendulum you fall, there is one fact you can no longer ignore.

Every line on that ballot needs your attention and every vote needs careful scrutiny.

A careless check matters.

And that is just the bottom line.

Published in Editorials on October 12, 2014 12:05 AM