Litigation

Minnesota Considers Judicial Reforms

By Lissette Villarruel

Minnesota is pushing judicial reforms in light of the ?rough-and-tumble? politics that have defined Wisconsin?s recent judicial elections, according to an article on MinnPost.com.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee is considering proposals to amend Minnesota?s constitution to enforce reforms that would ?buffer? the state from the national trend towards nasty, politicized judicial elections. The amendment would require that judges undergo performance reviews and stand for retention elections based upon those reviews. Any judges rejected by voters would be replaced by a governor appointee based on merit selection.

Former Governor Al Quie, currently the chairman of a bipartisan reform commission, has led the charge in the reform efforts, hoping to eliminate contested judicial elections in an effort to diminish the possibility that heavily funded ?smear campaigns? will take hold in Minnesota. He is joined by several former executive officials, former Congressmen, and organizations such as the Citizens League of Minnesota, the Center of the American Experiment, the Minnesota AFL-CIO and the League of Women Voters. (more…)

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 06, 2009 (boomark / email).