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Rebecca Love Kourlis Founding Executive Director, IAALS Russell Wheeler President, Governance Institute Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution Former Deputy Director, Federal Judicial Center Senior Fellow, IAALS In mid-November, President Obama …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk each authorize a  nonpartisan screening committee  to evaluate applicants for district court vacancies and make recommendations as to the best qualified. With four …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative According to results of a  recent Vanderbilt University poll , 44 percent of Tennessee voters want to elect supreme court justices, while 28 percent believe the governor should continue to appoint …

John T. Broderick, Jr. Chief Justice (Ret.), New Hampshire Supreme Court University of New Hampshire School of Law Dean John Broderick delivered this keynote address at the  New England Law Review’s fall symposium, "Crisis in the Judiciary.” The symposium …

Corina D. Gerety Former Director of Research, IAALS Two recent events have us reflecting on the reasons why it is important to collect and share data. At IAALS, we have concluded our final study of Colorado’s Simplified Procedure (Rule 16.1), which was …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern According to a system established in 1977 by constitutional amendment, the governor appoints judges to the New York Court of Appeals—the state's highest court—from names submitted by the Commission on Judicial Nomination. …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern Rather than being elected by the voters, Delaware’s judges are appointed by the governor with senate confirmation. Since 1977, Delaware governors have entered an executive order creating a judicial nominating commission to …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern Recently, during the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, many state chief justices, court administrators, and legislators attended or participated in a panel discussion …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative Governor Chris Christie  submitted nominees for two New Jersey supreme court vacancies  to the senate. One of the nominees is a sitting superior court judge and, if confirmed, would be the first …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative During the week of December 3, the  U.S. Senate confirmed four nominees  for district court judgeships in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and Michigan. This is unexpected progress in light of  …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative An unusual feature of the  Delaware constitution  is that it requires partisan balance on the state’s courts, so judicial vacancies are  reserved for members of a particular political party . All …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative In April 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue entered Executive Order 86 , which created a judicial nominating commission to screen applicants and recommend the best qualified candidates for …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative The campaign for a seat on Louisiana’s supreme court has  taken a negative turn , with the Democratic candidate sponsoring an ad attacking Republican Jeff Hughes’ record as a trial court judge. …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative As IAALS Online has covered previously , Governor Brownback and conservative state legislators are expected to pursue changes to the process for choosing Kansas’ appellate judges in the upcoming …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern This week, the Arizona Supreme Court will consider a proposal, backed by all three Arizona law schools, to let third year law students take the February bar exam prior to graduation . This proposal was created directly in …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative A contentious and  likely expensive supreme court campaign  is expected in April 2013, with  Justice Patience Roggensack seeking reelection  and at least three candidates expressing interest in …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern In a recent  article , the  Economist  discusses how "money and back-room politicking are contaminating the selection of judges." The relative ease with which partisan groups can reach voters during a contested judicial …

Zachary Willis Director of Communications This month, IAALS launched the first edition of IAALS Report , our new monthly newsletter. It’s a convenient way to keep you even more informed about issues affecting the civil justice system as we move into 2013 …

Cindy Pham Former IAALS Intern Judicial campaign spending amounts across the nation skyrocketed in the recent election cycle, threatening public perceptions of the independence, fairness, and impartiality of the courts . Driven by the desire to tilt the …

Malia Reddick Former Manager, Quality Judges Initiative When they return in January, South Carolina legislators will  elect judges for nine new circuit and family court judgeships , providing critics of this selection process with an opportunity to press …