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Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection
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The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection is responsible for nominating judicial candidates to fill vacancies on the Nevada Supreme Court and district courts in Nevada. The commission was created by Article 6, Section 20 of the Nevada Constitution. The commission fills vacancies which occur mid-term, or when an election is not underway.[1]
Process
The commission makes recommendations about the best candidates to fill the vacant seat on the bench. These recommendations go to the governor, who appoints the judge. These recommendations are based upon an application completed by the candidate, public interviews of the candidate and investigations into the applicant's background. The application itself is quite thorough, requiring the candidate to provide information such as their educational history, details on their law practice, the status of their health, personal and professional conduct and community involvement. The commission also solicits comments from the general public, and the public can attend the interviews of the candidates. They are allowed to address the commission directly about any concerns they have about the candidate's fitness for the bench.[2]
The commission deliberates in public as well, but voting on the candidates is kept secret. The commission takes into account the whole process when deliberating. They look to the applications submitted by each candidate, any letters submitted on behalf or against the candidate, whether there were any negative public comments at the interviews and then the interview itself. Once the commission is done deliberating, the voting begins. The top three vote-getters are put on a list and submitted to the governor. The governor can only appoint one individual, and he is barred from appointing outside the list. The governor has no deadline within which he must make an appointment. If it takes longer than 30 days, however, he cannot make any other appointments to public office.[2]
After the whole process is complete, the documents compiled for each candidate are then made public via the internet.[3] Certain portions are redacted or kept secret for the candidate's privacy. Additionally, any written comments submitted by the public are kept confidential. The purpose behind this is to ensure that the public can be open and honest in their comments.[2]
The appointed judge will serve until the next general election, when he must be retained. If the judge wins the retention election, he or she will serve a full six-year term or the unexpired term of his predecessor.[2]
Members
| Current members of nominating commission[4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | Appointing office | Term ends |
| Chief Justice James Hardesty | Nevada Constitution | January 4, 2016 |
| Valerie Cooney, Esq. | State Bar of Nevada | December 31, 2016 |
| Jeffery Gilbert | Governor | December 31, 2016 |
| Jesse Gutierrez | Governor | December 31, 2016 |
| Gregory Kamer, Esq. | State Bar of Nevada | December 31, 2016 |
| Jasmine Mehta, Esq. | State Bar of Nevada | December 31, 2017 |
| Leslie Williams | State Bar of Nevada | January 5, 2019 |
Recent news
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See also
External links
References
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nevada," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nevada Courts, "FACTS and FAQs," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Courts, "Applicant Archive," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Courts, "Judicial Selection Commission Members," accessed April 30, 2015
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Nevada • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Nevada
State courts:
Nevada Supreme Court • Nevada Court of Appeals • Nevada District Courts • Nevada Justice Courts • Nevada Municipal Courts • Clark County Family Court, Nevada
State resources:
Courts in Nevada • Nevada judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nevada
