What We Consider in Our Ratings
The rating that a Judge4Yourself.com organization gives a candidate expresses that organization’s opinion of the candidate’s likely performance as a judge in the court that the candidate wants to serve. Each Judge4Yourself.com organization rates candidates on the criteria of integrity, temperament & demeanor, diligence and professional competence for the position sought. We rate each candidate individually, and upon each of the criteria. Our ratings take into account the candidate’s answers to our questionnaire and an interview of the candidate in which representatives of all of our organizations participate, as well as other information, including information provided by disciplinary authorities. We take a close look at whether a candidate’s qualifications are a good match for the particular court he or she wants to serve. For more detail on our criteria, click here. We ask all candidates in contested races on the ballot in Cuyahoga County to participate in our process. If a candidate declines to participate fully without a reasonable excuse, that candidate’s rating will be “Refused to Participate” unless a “Not Recommended” rating is warranted.
The Rating Terms
Each organization gives every candidate one of the following ratings:
- Excellent: This rating means that the Candidate exceeds most or all of the criteria expectations.
- Good: This rating means that the Candidate exceeds some of the criteria expectations.
- Satisfactory: This rating means that the Candidate meets the criteria expectations.
- Not Recommended This rating means that the Candidate does not meet the criteria expectations. “Not recommended” may also include a situation where a Candidate fails or refuses to appear for an interview or complete the questionnaire or sign the jurat or waiver, and the Members of JCRC have sufficient information to evaluate the candidate.
- “Preferred” Rating – Our organizations rate each candidate on his or her own merits. But the rules of three Judge4Yourself.com organizations give them the option use the term “preferred” for one candidate in a race in which the organization rated all candidates equally.