Following the recent passing of Pope Francis, a conclave of cardinals will elect a new pope under strict secrecy to encourage unbiased decision-making. This contrasts with the politicization observed in selecting U.S. Supreme Court justices, where candidates face political scrutiny on controversial issues rather than their legal analyses. Proposed reforms for justices, including 18-year terms, raise concerns about court balance. A suggested solution is to adopt a secret ballot election for Supreme Court justices, drawing inspiration from the papal election process, in an effort to minimize political influence.
A two-thirds majority is required to elect a new pope but if no one reaches that number after time, a runoff election is held between the two candidates.
The secrecy is meant to allow every member to vote his conscience free from public influence and possibly outrage.
The current method of selecting Supreme Court justices has been deemed overly political and even broken.
Electing justices through a secret ballot similar to the papal conclave may help minimize politics in their selection.
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