| 8 Applicants Apply for Appointment to Historic Vacancy at the 8th Judicial District Court |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 13:08 | |||
|
The Commission on Judicial Selection has received applications from eight attorneys to fill the vacancy at the Eighth Judicial District Family Court that will result from the impending retirement of District Judge Gerald Hardcastle on July 1, Chief Justice Mark Gibbons announced. This will be the first vacancy during which the Commission's interview and deliberation processes will be open to the public. The Commission voted on Dec. 18, 2007 to change its rules and open the traditionally confidential processes and provide access to most application information. The applicants, in alphabetical order, are: The deadline for applications was 5 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2008. The Commission will conduct interviews during the week of July 21 in Las Vegas. Following the interviews, the Commission will submit the names of three nominees to Governor Jim Gibbons, who will appoint the replacement from the list. No time limit exists within which the Governor must make a judicial appointment. However, if an appointment is not made within 30 days following submission of names by the Commission, the Governor may make no other appointments to public office. The Commission invites public comments about the qualifications of the applicants and requests that such comments be submitted in writing to the Commission Secretary, Ron Titus, Administrative Office of the Courts, Supreme Court Building, 201 South Carson Street, Suite 250, Carson City, Nevada 89701, no later than Friday, July 11, 2008. An exception to the new rules on openness is that all comments will be kept confidential to ensure the authors can be candid. Each applicant has completed a comprehensive application providing information about education, law practice, business involvement, community involvement, professional and personal conduct, and health. While the Commission will make most application information public, certain personal identifiers and health details will remain confidential. The Commission will base its nominations on the applications, letters of reference, written public comments, and responses to verbal questions posed during interviews. Regular members of the Commission on Judicial Selection include the Chief Justice, three non attorneys appointed by the Governor and three attorneys appointed by the State Bar of Nevada. For District Court vacancies, two temporary members are appointed for each vacancy –, a non-attorney by the Governor, and an attorney by the State Bar of Nevada. Temporary members must be residents of the Judicial District in which the vacancy occurs. They serve only until the nominations for the vacancy are transmitted to the Governor. In the appointment of regular Commission members, neither the Governor nor the Bar may appoint more than two members of the same political party, nor choose more than one member from the same county. Regular Commission members serve four-year terms, with the terms expiring on alternate years. The regular commission members are: The temporary members have not yet been appointed by the Governor and the State Bar of Nevada.
|
