“This has to be reversed. Nothing will change permanently until these people are culled from power of any kind.”
The recourse for bad elected judges is the ballot box. The recourse for unethical appointed judges is the impeachment process which is a power state legislatures have for state and local judges and Congress has for federal judges. Unfortunately judges are attorneys and most representatives in Congress and state legislatures are attorneys. The legal profession regulates itself. The members of this club stick together and protect each other.
Not unlike the medical profession where few bad doctors are expelled by licensing boards since doctors and nurses don’t rat on the bad apples.
Many don't because they will be sued. When people report things it's often anonymously, which carries less weight.