Litigation

MN Judicial Election Reform Bill Stalls

By Peter Hardin

A proposal to reform the way state judges are selected in Minnesota has passed through one committee in each chamber of the legislature, but it’s in limbo because another committee chair has declined to hold a hearing on it.

Rep. Joe Mullery, chairman of the House Civil Justice Committee and a Democrat, simply doesn’t want to discuss judicial elections, the Politics in Minnesota blog reported.

A bipartisan group is pushing 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.

Former Gov. Al Quie, a Republican and co-chair of Minnesotans for Impartial Courts, said he thinks voters will still see the ballot issue in November. ?The leadership is ingenious enough. They should be able to figure out how to get it through,? he said.

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 April 12, 2010 (boomark / email).