Merit selection and retention.

Correction to my letter on retirement age of judges published in the April 15 News.

Just for the record, after reading A Most Disorderly Court--Scandal & Reform in the Florida Judiciary by Martin A. Dyckman, I discovered that the amendment forcing judges/justices to retire at age 70 was passed in 1956. It actually had nothing to do with the Florida Supreme Court scandals of the late 1960's and early 1970's. If I may, I would like to cite the book flap of such book on the issue of popular election of higher appellate judges and justices, which is now a current issue and which I could not say better myself:

"Today, Florida Supreme Court justices are appointed through a system that is intended to exalt the qualifications of candidates over political skill or connections. In 1971, though, justices were elected by popular vote until scandals at the heart of the very independence and objectivity they were sworn to uphold threatened to topple the state's highest court.

"For a time, each week brought increasingly shocking revelations of the justices' behavior behind closed doors. Two justices allowed themselves to be lobbied by a lawyer representing the public utility industry in a case with millions of...