The judicial selection commission sponsored by Senators Inouye and Akaka submitted to the senators a list of three candidates for an upcoming vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. The vacancy is due to Judge David Ezra taking senior status on June 27.

The state bar association gave a supreme court candidate a “not recommended” rating for the first time since 1998, indicating that less than sixty percent of bar members gave her a favorable evaluation. Three supreme court seats are up for election this year, with one incumbent justice running unopposed.

The appellate judicial commission invited applications for the supreme court vacancy to be created by Judge Ray Price’s October retirement. In announcing his plans to retire, Judge Price expressed his support for the state’s merit selection system and his hope that it would be used to choose his successor.

Governor Scott asked a state law enforcement agency to decide if an investigation is warranted into whether the three justices standing for retention in November violated state law by seeking assistance from court staff in filing election-related paperwork, and two citizens filed a lawsuit asking the secretary of state to remove the three justices from the ballot.

A November ballot measure known as Proposition 115 would make two fairly substantial changes to the judicial nominating process, by requiring the commission to submit eight names (rather than at least three) to the governor for possible appointment and by limiting the role of the bar in selecting attorney commission members.

On September 20th and 21st in Denver, IAALS will host our Third Civil Justice Reform Summit. Now, with a wealth of data from state and federal jurisdictions that are experimenting with innovative case management strategies and new rules of civil procedure, this Summit will focus on the landscape of innovation and how lawyers, judges, court personnel, and academics can further advance innovative solutions.

Although Chief Justice Castille requested in early May that Governor Corbett hold off making any judicial appointments until 2013 for budget reasons, Corbett announced six nominees for county and municipal court vacancies. Several days earlier, the governor had nominated his chief of staff to another judicial vacancy.

June 22nd and 23rd are just around the corner and IAALS is excited to host two days of summits on electronic discovery. The Friday June 22nd session...

In the coming weeks, we will release two major publications. The first is Cornerstones of State Judicial Selection: Laying the Foundation for Quality...

In Michigan, where three of the seven seats on the state supreme court are on the ballot in November, there is much attention focused on its Judicial Selection Task Force's recent recommendations. IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis and Chief Justice Ruth McGregor (Ret. – AZ), Chair of the O'Connor Advisory Committee to the Quality Judges Initiative, testified before this group and participated in a public forum last year.

In May, IAALS hosted the Udall-Bennet Federal Judicial Screening Committee, which was charged with interviewing applicants for an upcoming vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and recommending highly qualified candidates to the senators. IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis and Denver attorney Hal Haddon served as co-chairs of the bipartisan, 11-member advisory committee.

In the sole supreme court race this fall, both the incumbent and the challenger have qualified for public financing, but a super PAC known as N.C. Judicial Coalition has formed to support the incumbent. The election will determine whether the 4-3 balance on the court will tilt in favor of conservative or liberal justices.