To what extent does public opinion influence judicial processes and decisions?

If you are not asking about the USA, please say which country.

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/10/19/loc_countywide_election.html
http://www.lwvmn.org/EdFundJudicialElections.html

The above links were just a couple of hits with "election of judges".

"To what extent does public opinion influence judicial processes and decisions?"

In other parts of the world, people may be surprised that local judges
are elected by the voters in some - if not all -  US states.

Quite in the other direction and in another judicial system:
The highest court in Germany has passed decisions concerning the
claims of ownership and rights to compensation by persons whose
property was absconded after the war, that "stretch" the
interpretation of the law and precedence,
as a result of earlier decisions based on assumptions about
international agreements that were subsequently shown to be unfounded
(the assumptions).
(Perhaps, needless to say, different decisions would have been
extremely expensive for the govt.)
Sudden eye-opener!  But, seen "in toto", these decisions were really
in the interest of the general populace, the tax payers, who whould
have had to pick up the bill for a "different" legal decision.

Did the judges think that far ahead, that their maybe dubious legal
decisions were really in the interest of the general public?

Hey, thanks for your response. I am looking at Australia in
particular. I am focussing on the Lindy Chamberlain case ( aka "a
dingo's got my baby" case) and the impact that the public had in
demonizing Lindy Chamberlain. This case quite clearly demonstrates the
impact the public can have in regards to the judicial process, but I
want to contrast this case with any other that highlights the
opposite. That is, a case which shows the judiciary ignoring public
outcry and deciding a case merely on its legal merits. If you have any
case that may help, from either Australia or abroad, I'd love to hear
about it.
Cheers,
Billy

Thanks,
great love for Australia  - lived there for a couple of years -  
but, sorry, no help.
Read here about the case.   I cannot imagine that cases that have gone
against popular outcry, where the judge's or the jury's decision went
that way, would have any relevance on this individual case.
Those cases could also include examples of miscarriage of justice (not
to say theat Lindy's was such).

Sorry that I cannot be more supportive.