Albany Law Review Symposium: "The State of State Courts"

This year, Albany Law Review's annual State Constitutional Commentary Symposium features articles from IAALS Advisory Committee Members.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Chief Justice Ruth McGregor contributed a short piece entitled, “Judicial Selection Principles: A Perspective,” which recommends a well-designed merit selection system to assure the appointment of fair and impartial judges. In addition, O'Connor Advisory Committee member Meryl Chertoff co-authored an article, “Check One and the Accountability is Done: The Harmful Impact of Straight-Ticket Voting on Judicial Elections, which examines how straight-ticket voting may corrupt the integrity of a judicial selection system, impair judicial independence, and remove judicial accountability power from the voters to party leaders.

The Symposium also includes a profile of O'Connor Advisory Committee member Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson in “A Judge in Full: Wallace Jefferson of Texas,” which discusses how Chief Justice Jefferson's opinions reflect a "deep knowledge of law and the peculiarities and particularities of the state and the people he serves."