For the past year, Hell Gate and Type Investigations have been haunting courtrooms, hanging out in strange outerborough political clubhouses, and filing endless requests for transcripts to produce Courts of Contempt—our investigation into the machinations of New York's broken judicial system.
This installment of our investigation looks at how reform efforts to change how we decide who sits on the bench in New York City have languished for years, running up against institutional and bureaucratic roadblocks. Finally, though, a group of reformers think they're ready to break through, and change how we select judges—from a cesspool of grime and self-dealing to a more enlightened, straightforward democratic process. We'll find out if they're able to pull this off soon enough, after this summer's Democratic primaries!
To see the full Courts of Contempt project and read all the Case Files, you can go here.