We're wrapping up our #DOWNBALLOT series with a trip to the local courtroom.

39 states elect judges in some form, so chances are you may see judges up for vote on your ballot in November. But what is the difference between all the different circuit courts in which judges preside over? And how can voters access information about the judges on their ballot? And... should judges even be elected?

Everything you can think of that impacts human beings happens in our courts. And judges are the ones who decide they have tremendous power. We don't know enough about them. So how do we pick the best judges when they're on the ballot? My answer is you can't unless you have sufficient information to know who these people are. And therein lies the problem. There is very little information out there about who these judicial candidates are. - LaDoris Hazzard Cordell

We speak with LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, retired California superior court judge, and author of the recent book Her Honor: My Life on the Bench... What Works, What's Broken, and How to Change It.