JNC Network News Archive

Proposed Rule Changes Would Enhance Diversity of N.Y. High Court Candidates, Legal Observers Say
New York’s Commission on Judicial Nomination has proposed revisions to its rules of procedure that are aimed at generating a larger, more diverse pool of applicants for the commission to consider.  July 27, 2009

Incoming Chief Justice Price Open to Changes in Missouri Judicial Panels

Missouri’s new chief justice supports the Missouri Plan but is open to some modifications like adding an additional non-lawyer member to the nominating commission. June 23, 2009

Process for Choosing, Retaining Tenn. Judges Intact

The Tennessee legislature passed a bill preserving the Tennessee Plan, while modifying the selection and composition of the nominating commission and allowing the governor to choose from two slates of three names each. June 12, 2009

Elect or Appoint? Debate Reignites

The Caperton decision has fueled calls for merit selection in states like Pennsylvania. June 12, 2009

High court to rule on Gov. Crist's rejection of court nominees
Gov. Charlie Crist says his goal was a more diverse court system, but in a case before the Florida Supreme Court he is accused of violating the Constitution by rejecting all six candidates for a vacancy. May 21, 2009. Click here for the full article.

Judicial resolution makes ballot
Under a resolution approved 28-13 Wednesday in the Assembly, voters will decide in the November 2010 election whether to amend the Nevada Constitution to allow governors to pick Supreme Court justices and district judges. May 21, 2009. Click here for the full article.

Legislature leaves judicial selection alone, helps public defenders
“Hit or miss” might be the best way to describe the approach to legislation affecting the state’s legal community this summer. May 15, 2009. Click here for the full article.

Judicial merit-selection override a possibility
The state’s top executive has rejected the idea of scrapping merit selection in St. Joseph County, but it remains unclear whether lawmakers will attempt to override that veto during a special session. May 14, 2009. Click here for the full article.

Crist rejects names for appeals court, asks for diversity
Expressing the need for more racial diversity on a list of nominees for the Fifth District Court of Appeal, Gov. Charlie Crist rejected a shortlist recently submitted to him by the body responsible for selecting those nominees and requested that it reconvene and resubmit a new list in the coming weeks.  To read more, click here. Published December 3, 2008.

Paterson Criticizes Panel for Its Judicial Selections
Gov. David A. Paterson blasted the state commission that recommends candidates for chief judge, saying it was an outrage and an injustice that not one of the seven people presented to him was a woman.  Published December 3, 2008.

U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform Cites AJS Model Provisions
On October 28, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform released Promoting “Merit” in Merit Selection: A Best Practices Guide for Commission-Based Judicial Selection. The guide relies on AJS’s Model Judicial Selection Provisions as one of four primary sources. In particular, the guide references the AJS model provisions regarding the essential role of non-lawyer commission members, the need for openness and accessibility in filling vacancies on the commission, and the importance of having written ethical and procedural rules for the commission.  October 27, 2009