Trial Court Campaign Messaging in a Post- White Environment: An Analysis of Candidate Websites in Contested Elections

State trial courts are the judicial institutions Americans are most likely to experience directly. These courts handle millions of cases every year, and thus any political conditions that threaten the impartiality and independence of these courts have a direct bearing on the strength of our justice system and democracy. Governments that operate without a strong rule of law struggle to maintain a fully fledged democracy. Some judicial observers have identified the politicization of judicial elections as one possible threat to the impartiality and independence of our courts, and hence, our democracy.