Unions are co-sponsoring a forum Tuesday in Rochester to examine whether the system of choosing judges should be changed.

The Coalition for Impartial Justice, with the Southeast Area Labor Council, Rochester League of Women Voters, UMR Connects and Olmsted County Bar Association, among others, is sponsoring the Fair Courts and Judicial Election Forum.

The event will run from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Room 417 at the University of Minnesota Rochester, 111 South Broadway.

Panelists will include former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, Rochester Chamber of Commerce President John Wade and Coalition for Impartial Justice President Sarah Walker.

“Currently Minnesotans have little to no information about judges up for election; they have no real power to hold judges accountable; and are at risk of losing their courts to special interests and big money politics,” according to the coalition.

The coalition is advocating for reforms to the way judicial elections are structured in Minnesota, including a constitutional amendment that would move the state to a system of retention elections, public performance evaluations, and would extend the merit selection process to all levels of the judiciary.

Learn more at the website of the Coalition for Impartial Justice.