Litigation

Judge Defends KS Merit System Against ?Attack?

By Peter Hardin

With Kansas’ merit selection system for picking Court of Appeals judges “under attack,” that bench’s chief judge has leapt to its defense.

Judge Richard D. Greene contends in a Topeka Capital-Journal column that a bill in the legislature would replace merit selection with a “purely political selection process.”

The bill would require state Senate confirmation of judges appointed by the governor to the state Court of Appeals (see Gavel Grab). A screening commission that currently recommends nominees to the governor would not be involved.

Judge Greene wrote that it’s important to keep politics out of the courtroom:

“We don?t need politicians as judges. We need our best and brightest to be judges who will fairly and impartially interpret and apply Kansas law without regard to political ideology, political agenda, political party or political contributors.”

“The high quality of our appellate court will stay that way only if we continue to seek the best and brightest for our judges ? not politicians selected for their political viewpoint or agenda. Abolishing the nominating commission in favor of a purely political choice is a big mistake.”

To learn more about how merit systems work, check out the Justice at Stake issues page on the topic.

Full post as published by The Gavel on February 23, 2011 (boomark / email).