Public opinion in the States was measured in terms of the conservatism of the State's voters; people in a more conservative State would be expected to favor harsher sentences for offenders. If elected judges are more in tune with public feelings than their appointed colleagues, there should be an interaction effect. The analyses ran the effects of judicial selection (partisan election, nonpartisan election, gubernatorial appointment, and merit plan) three ways, using standard multiple regression techniques. The results showed no evidence that judicial selection method has any effect on the degree to which public preferences determine sentence outcomes for rapists. 2 tables and 15 notes