The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) adopted
new recommendations for the
evaluation of candidates
for
judicial office at
its
April 13 House of Delegates
meeting in Albany.
The recommendations were part of a report by the Task Force on the Evaluation of
Candidates for Election to Judicial Office, established on June
1,
2018, in connection with the
disbanding of the statewide
network of Independent Judicial Elections
Qualification Commissions (IJEQCs).
While many local, affinity and specialty bar associations, including NYSBA, already had screening
committees that effectively evaluate
judicial candidates, some county bars did not have processes
in
place. Vetting processes needed
to be in place for the next cycle
of judicial elections.
NYSBA acted immediately, calling on a number of past and
present local and state
bar leaders to join a task
force to assist and support local
bars in setting up screening and evaluation mechanisms, and to develop
best practice guidelines for the process. Because some
local bar associations lack the
resources and membership needed to
establish such committees, task force members also
developed guidance for establishing regional screening committees, as an alternative.
“Fair, effective, non-partisan evaluation of candidates
for election to judicial office
is fundamental to the effective
administration of justice.
With the termination of the IJEQCs, we needed to
have something in place quickly
to properly evaluate candidates for
judicial office,” said NYSBA President Michael Miller, who
praised the task force
for doing extraordinary work under strict
time constraints. “Under
the leadership of Robert L. Haig (Kelley Drye) and retired Court of Appeals Judge
Susan Phillips Read (Greenberg Traurig), the task
force completed a superb and
comprehensive study and offered
concrete recommendations of best practices so that all who seek
election to judicial
office may be evaluated
fully and equitably.”
“Having effective, partisan-free judicial
evaluation and screening processes
in place
throughout the state is critical
to ensuring that candidates for
judicial office in New
York possess the essential
qualities to be
a good
judge. I am thankful to
the New York State
Bar Association for
its prompt actions in response to
the vacuum created by the disbanding
of the IJEQCs, and commend Michael
Miller and the task
force members for their
outstanding efforts as we strive to
promote the highest
standards of the judiciary,” said
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.
Task
Force Co-chairs Susan Phillips Read and Robert
Haig said, “If we are to be successful
in
our mission of developing
effective non-partisan evaluation and
screening of candidates for election to judicial office and improving those efforts that already
exist, it is vital to help
create and support systems
that will truly foster the best judiciary possible.”
The task force noted
that its mission did
not include tackling a split in the way judges
in New York are selected:
the state’s appellate courts and the New York City Criminal and Family Court judges are all appointed; nearly all other
judges and justices are elected.
NYSBA supports a commission-based selection process for
all judges, similar to the one used
to appoint judges to the Court
of
Appeals.
About the New York
State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary
state bar association in the
nation. Since 1876, the Association has helped
shape the development of law, educated and
informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights
of
New Yorkers through advocacy
and guidance in our
communities.
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Contact: Joan Fucillo
[email protected]
518-487-5670
