>>It should also be noted that our judges are *elected* by the people and serve defined terms.<<
I'm not so crazy about electing judges. They tend to favor the lawyers that donated to their campaigns.
Sometimes, but they generally tend to be more fair and impartial than those in the "appointed for life" category. They, after all, have to answer to the public for their decisions.
Having observed the CA "appointed for life" idea and the TX "elected" idea, I much prefer the latter.