News & Updates

The November 2011 edition of Selection Snapshots is now available.

The judicial nominating commission released 40 years of data on those who have been recommended and appointed to the D.C. superior court and court of appeals. The commission’s process has become increasingly transparent in recent years, beginning with the release of the names of all judicial applicants in 2008.

There are fourteen trial court seats up for election in Manhattan, but candidates are all running unopposed. The five supreme court candidates were nominated at a party convention. Of the nine civil court candidates, only one faced an opponent in the primary.

According to a report on campaign spending in state supreme court elections in 2009-10, special interest groups accounted for 30% of the money spent and paid for three out of four attack advertisements. The $4.9 million spent on judicial retention elections more than doubled the $2.2 million spent in such races during the entire decade.

Christie campaigned for Republican state legislators, who are up for reelection in November, on the issue of “elitist judges.” Christie plans to propose a constitutional amendment to bypass the ruling.

A joint legislative committee considered changing the process for selecting the state’s appellate judges. The primary proposal is to put party labels for judicial candidates back on the ballot, in order to enhance voter information.

President Obama’s efforts to fill judicial vacancies have been complicated by the American Bar Association’s ratings of potential nominees. The ABA’s judicial vetting committee has rated 14 of 185 potential nominees as “not qualified,” and the administration has a policy of not nominating such candidates.

According to a new report, Michigan had the most expensive judicial races in 2009-10, accounting for one fourth of the $38.4 million spent nationwide. The state also saw the highest spending on TV advertisements and the most attack ads.

Governor Hickenlooper ultimately chose a state trial court judge to fill the seat. The governor reported making his decision on the basis of conversations with sitting justices, diverse legal groups, business groups, and public officials.

“The New Politics of Judicial Elections 2009-10,” by the Justice at Stake Campaign, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and the National Institute on Money in State Politics, is released as the presidential race is heating up -- with…

Texas Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson was recently interviewed by The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Chief Justice Jefferson is a member of the Advisory Committee for our O'Connor Judicial Selection Project.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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