Litigation

Group Presses for Reform in Choosing NV Judges

By Peter Hardin

A group pressing for merit-based selection of judges in Nevada is stepping up its campaign for voters to approve a November ballot question.

Irwin Molasky of Nevadans for Qualified Judges acknowledged it’s hard for citizens to surrender their vote to pick judges, but the public would have more clout to weed out inadequate judges through a merit selection system, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal article.

“It’s just a popularity contest” now, as anyone can run for a judgeship in Nevada, he said. Because of both perception and actual scandals, the public ought to be “uncomfortable” with the current system, he added.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (see Gavel Grab) has agreed to be honorary chairwoman of the drive in Nevada.

If voters support amending Nevada?s constitution, the state would scrap elections of Supreme Court justices and District Court judges when a vacancy occurs, and replace elections with what is widely called the Missouri Plan.

The proposal envisions a Commission on Judicial Selection making recommendations to the governor, who would in turn fill a vacancy based on candidate?s qualifications. At the next general election, the judge would face voters in an up-or-down retention election. You can learn more from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 10, 2010 (boomark / email).