Judges Launch Opposition Campaign in Response to Missouri's Proposed Judicial Selection Amendments

News and Updates
A group of retired supreme court judges took the lead in the campaign opposing Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to name an additional member of the commission that nominates potential judges and… MORE

Connecticut Sees Increase in Number of Female Judges

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Thirty-three percent of supreme, appellate, and superior court judges are women—an increase of eight percent since 2002. This figure comes close to matching the percentage of Connecticut Bar Association members who are women—34 percent. One… MORE

Western District of Pennsylvania Introduces Pilot Program for Expedited Litigation

News and Updates
On August 30th, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania introduced a new Pilot Program designed  to expedite civil cases filed in that district. Modeled loosely on the Northern District of California's… MORE

Merit Selection Process of The Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona

News and Updates
The Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona has prepared a short video that describes its process for selecting, evaluating, and retaining judges. Appellate courts and trial courts in the three largest counties use the O'Connor Judicial Selection… MORE

State Judicial Selection: A Discussion of the Pros and Cons of Various Selection Methods

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The Diane Rehm Show discusses how judicial elections and appointment processes impact fairness in state courts.   Some critics argue elections create political biases which weaken judicial impartiality. These critics contend judges are not… MORE

Pennsylvania's Judicial Vacancies Lead to Real-Life Consequences

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A third of the Middle District of Pennsylvania's active court lies vacant due to the slow-moving process of judicial nominations. The Atlantic reports these vacancies significantly overburden the Middle District, forcing citizens into… MORE

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

News and Updates
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… MORE

The New York Times Criticizes Judicial Election Processes

News and Updates
In a recent editorial, The New York Times argues the current judicial selection method of electing high state court judges makes the judiciary more susceptible to influence by campaign donors. Because a sizable percentage of campaign funding… MORE

Democratic Party Nominates Three Women to Run for Michigan Supreme Court

News and Updates
At its fall convention, the state Democratic Party nominated three women to run for supreme court seats in November. Two of the three candidates are challenging incumbent justices, while the third is running for an open seat.

Pennsylvania: Lawyers pay judges travel costs

News and Updates
According to financial disclosure forms, five of the seven justices serving on the supreme court in 2011 accepted travel or hospitality that was often provided by attorney associations whose members might appear before the court. Some legal scholars… MORE