News & Updates

The supreme court nominating commission sent three names to Governor Hickenlooper for the vacancy created by Justice Martinez’ resignation. The nominees include a Democrat, a Republican, and an unaffiliated voter, but none of whom consider themselves to be politically active. (The governor must make the appointment within 15 days of receiving the commission’s list.)

A new clinic for victims of domestic violence at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law will be named the Ruth V. McGregor Family Protection Clinic in honor of retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth V. McGregor. Justice McGregor chairs the Advisory Committee for the O'Connor Judicial Selection Project.

Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor's one-minute video on the supreme court's website urging a “yes” vote on Issue 1 in the November election met with some criticism. Issue 1 would raise the retirement age for state judges from 70 to 76.

Judge and IAALS board member Kevin Burke ruffled some feathers with the Newt Gingrich campaign after questioning his recent attacks on the judiciary. Here, he responds to Gingrich's point-by-point rebuttal.

Minority groups called for the governor, who will make two supreme court nominations in March, to make the state supreme court more diverse. No justices of color currently serve on the court.

Following Gingrich’s lead, other Republican presidential candidates chimed in with charges of judicial activism and proposals to limit the federal judiciary.

Governor Christie publicly criticized a state trial court judge who ruled that requiring increased contributions to judicial pension plans is an indirect reduction in judges’ pay and in violation of the state constitution. The lawsuit was filed by a judge.

Two new laws will require more online information about judges standing for retention in 2012. Under this legislation, the commission on judicial performance review will post a listing of cases in which judges ruled on the constitutionality of statutes, a short biography of each judge, and the full text of their decisions during the current term.

A state senator proposed a constitutional amendment to alter the way the members of the state’s three appellate courts are selected. The proposal calls for a modified federal selection process, where judges are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the senate for eight year terms, subject to reappointment. The Tennessee Plan is set to expire in 2012, so some type of legislative action must be taken.

Governor Nixon selected George Draper III from three nominees submitted to him by the appellate judicial commission to fill a vacancy on the supreme court. Draper will be the second African-American to serve on the court. He will stand for retention in 2014.

In an address devoted to the importance of pro bono to the legal profession and to the society it serves, ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III stressed the importance of an independent judiciary and legal profession. Click here to read the…

Economist and Brookings Senior Fellow Clifford Winston has co-authored a new book that has created conversation around its premise, which is evident in its title: First Thing We Do, Let's Deregulate All the Lawyers. In this New York Times op-ed about the legal profession, he asks: "What if the barriers to entry were simply done away with?"

Two law professors suggest that preparing students for their first couple years fo practice is hardly enough--law schools must strive to prepare students for "for a lifetime of successful, ethical, and personally rewarding practice."

The Final Report by IAALS and ACTL was cited in Lee v. Max International, LLC, a Tenth Circuit decision written by Judge Neil Gorsuch. Click here to read the article.

Presidential Newt Gingrich brought national focus to an issue state courts were already facing: legislators and politicians around the country are taking aim at the third branch of government. Click here to read the article.

Early this month, Rebecca Love Kourlis sat down with LawWeek reporter Matt Masich to discuss the purpose of her new book, Rebuilding Justice, and the current state of civil courts in the United States.

IAALS board member Russell Wheeler was interviewed for this article, which focused on a federal judicial selection process in which President Obama has been slow to nominate and the Senate has been slow to confirm federal judges.

The Final Report by IAALS and ACTL was cited in this article, which discusses the implications technology may have on document review. Over the past 10 years, courts and commentators have struggled with this issue. Some, such as the American College…

There may be as many as 175 judicial elections—both contested and retention—on the 2012 general election ballot. Two of these races are at the supreme court level, with one justice expected to stand for retention and one justice who was appointed to the bench competing against several challengers to keep her seat.

The New York times reviewed the legal profession's failure to put women in leadership and judicial positions in the thirty years since Sandra Day O'Connor heard her first Supreme Court case.