# Wake the Bench — Judge grade rubric (TEMPLATE)

Bear-style **A / C / F** adapted for California judges (FairPAC / Wake the Bench).
**Source of truth for site templates.** A and F require cites. Thin evidence → C. Never invent CJP findings, holdings, or stats.

## How grades work

| Grade | Meaning | When we use it |
|-------|---------|----------------|
| **A** | Common-sense record | Sourced public-safety / parental-rights / anti-bureaucracy case-vote patterns (published opinions) |
| **C** | Mixed / thin record | Insufficient public evidence for A or F; explicit note required |
| **F** | Out of touch on the basics | Public CJP discipline/censure OR sourced progressive-bench signals with cites |

**A** and **F** require cites; thin → **C**.

## Metric weights

1. **CJP public discipline (high)** — censure, removal, suspension, public admonishment → F. Never invent.
2. **Key case votes (high)** — verified published majority/dissent/concur + plain-English summary + URL.
3. **Appointment / prior role (medium–low)** — documented appointing governor and prior employment; never sole proof when richer votes exist; may support ideology lean and (with other cites) F.
4. **Bar / JNE / reversal rate / backlog** — only if loaded; not guessed.

## ideologyLean

`left` | `center` | `right` | `insufficient` — FairPAC / Wake the Bench assessment, **not** an official court label. Thin → `insufficient`. Pair lean with 2–5 cited signals when possible.


## Research status

Wake the Bench scores from **public records only**: CJP public discipline, SOS candidate/retention lists, court rosters, published opinions, and bar/JNE or election statements **when loaded**. Rows without a verified vote pattern or CJP attachment stay **C** (and usually `insufficient` lean) with an explicit thin-record note — that means researchable-but-not-yet-sourced, not “cannot research.” We never invent holdings, CJP findings, ideology, bar ratings, or stats. Ideology lean is a FairPAC / Wake the Bench assessment only. This pack covers ballot/retention seats plus seeded Superior samples; California has far more Superior Court judges still to mine, and grades improve as cites are verified.