| LV City Councilman, Veteran Gamer Appointed to Judicial Selection Commission for Historic Vacancy |
| Monday, 07 July 2008 13:27 | |||
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Temporary Members for First Public Interviews Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Wolfson and veteran gaming executive Jeffrey Gilbert have been appointed as the temporary members to the Commission on Judicial Selection for the first ever public interviews to fill a judicial vacancy, Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Gibbons announced. A page for the Commission on Judicial Selection has been established on the Supreme Court website to provide application information on candidates, Commission rules, news releases, schedules, and other information to the public. The mid-term vacancy is the result of the impending retirement of Family Court Judge Gerald Hardcastle on July 1. The Commission will conduct interviews on Tuesday, July 22, in the Nevada Supreme Court courtroom in Las Vegas. Mr. Wolfson, a longtime Las Vegas attorney, was chosen by the State Bar of Nevada as its temporary member to the permanent commission. Mr. Gilbert, who holds a Nevada gaming license and has specialized in operating and restructuring financially troubled casinos, was appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons. For District Court vacancies, two temporary members are appointed –, 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. The temporary members will join the seven permanent members in interviewing the eight attorneys who have applied to fill the vacancy until the term expires in 2011. 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. Following the July 22 interviews, the Commission, chaired by Chief Justice Gibbons, will select three finalists and send the names to the Governor, who will appoint one of the three as the new judge. 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 has invited public comments about the qualifications of the applicants to be sent in writing by Friday, July 11, 2008. Comments should be submitted in writing to: An exception to the new policy on openness is that all public comments will still 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. Although most application information is 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. 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:
Janice Frayo Commission Staff, Administrative Office of the Courts 775-684 1706
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| Last Updated on Monday, 02 March 2009 13:49 |
