Litigation

Senate Panel Backs MN Reform Proposal

By Peter Hardin

A committee in the Minnesota Senate has approved a bill asking voters if they want to change how state judges are selected.

A bipartisan group of reformers is supporting a proposed  constitutional amendment to replace partisan elections with up-or-down retention elections and to set up a non-partisan commission to evaluate judges near the ends of their terms.

Supporters want to shield judges from special-interest money and politics, according to a Minnesota Public Radio report. Others think the current system is working. To learn more about the Minnesota proposal, check out Gavel Grab. A Justice at Stake issues page has more information about appointment and retention systems.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 26, 2010 (boomark / email).