Litigation

OK Bill Eyes Altering Merit Selection

By Peter Hardin

While a bill to replace merit selection of the Kansas Court of Appeals has drawn attention (see Gavel Grab), a like-minded measure has advanced in Oklahoma.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to ask voters whether to abolish the Judicial Nominating Commission and whether the state Senate should confirm judicial appointments made by the governor, according to a Tulsa World article.

Requiring Senate confirmation would draw politics into choosing judges, according to critics, and could lead to delays in reducing openings on the bench.

Merit selection is used in Oklahoma to choose appellate judges and to fill interim vacancies on the district court, according to an American Judicature Society guide to how states select their judges. You can learn more about merit selection from a Justice at Stake issues page on the topic.

Full post as published by The Gavel on February 25, 2011 (boomark / email).