A Good Idea from Kansas - UPDATED

The Iowa Independent points out that Kansas has decided to open its interviews with nominees for its Supreme Court and Court of Appeals to the public:

Interviews with candidates for the Kansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals will be open to the public, a break from decades of tradition and a response to a failed attempt to remove four state Supreme Court justices during last month's retention election. The move makes Kansas only the 11th state in the nation to publicly vet higher court judges in such a manner.Many are calling for something similar in Iowa, where the state's Judicial Nominating Commission is meeting to come up with a slate of nominees for openings on the Iowa Supreme Court to give to the governor, who will make the final decision.

Many are calling for something similar in Iowa, where the state's Judicial Nominating Commission is meeting to come up with a slate of nominees for openings on the Iowa Supreme Court to give to the governor, who will make the final decision.

I also think this would be a good idea for Iowa. The benefits of allowing Iowans to see how these selections are made would, in my view, far outweigh  any chance that the vetting sessions would become a media circus or a grandstanding-fest. We heard all sorts of complaints during the retention debate about the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission being some aloof leftist cadre churning out activist judges. So let's have a look-see.

The courts operate in public, so it seems natural to open judge interviews. The little-understood, closed-door selection process has only contributed to public mistrust. Opening the process could help repair some of the damage.

UPDATE -- Iowa's nominating commission plans to allow the public to see web streaming of its interviews. Here's the release from the Judicial Branch:

Judicial Nominating Commission Begins Process for Selecting Nominees for Supreme CourtDes Moines, December 13, 2010- The State Judicial Nominating Commission, which is responsible for selecting nominees for appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court, announced today it will begin accepting applications for the vacancies that will occur when the terms of Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, Justice Michael Streit and Justice David Baker end on December 31. The Commission has sixty days to send a slate of nominees to the Governor, who makes appointments to the court.The deadline for applications is January 14, 2011. Any citizen may submit in writing to the secretary of the commission, or to any commissioner, the names of persons for consideration as a candidate for nomination and express views concerning such candidate. Once the application time has run, the Commission will release the names of all applicants along with information about each applicant's background, experience, and qualifications. This list and other information about the nominating commission and Iowa's merit selection process will be available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website: www.iowacourts.gov.The Commission plans to meet the week of January 24, 2011, to interview applicants and select a slate of nominees. The meeting schedule and location are yet to be determined. However, The 15-member commission is composed of a chair, who is the senior justice of the supreme court other than the chief justice, seven lawyer commissioners elected by lawyers licensed to practice law in Iowa and seven non-lawyer commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate. With the exception of the commission chair, membership on the commission is limited to one six-year term. Terms are staggered. The Iowa Constitution requires that commission members be chosen without regard to political affiliation.Iowa's process for selecting judges through the use of nominating commissions is known as merit selection. Iowa voters approved the merit selection process in 1962 by constitutional amendment. Merit selection is designed to emphasize the professional qualifications of applicants for judicial appointment and minimize partisan politics. In keeping with this design, the Commission put applicants for judicial office through a rigorous and thorough screening by reviewing extensive information about each applicant's background, education, professional skills, and experience. After the interviews, the commission sends the governor a slate of nominees. Iowa law requires nominees to be chosen "upon the basis of their qualifications and without regard to political affiliation." The governor is required to pick the new justices from this slate.Important Notice to Applicants: To be eligible for appointment to the court, a person must be a resident of the state, licensed to practice law in Iowa, and must be of such age that they will be able to serve an initial and one regular term of office before reaching the age of 72. To be most favorably considered for balloting, an applicant must file a letter of intent to file an application with the secretary of the commission by January 10, 2011. In addition, an applicant must submit completed application forms to the commission on or before January 14, 2011.

I'd rather watch in person, but better than nothing.

Des Moines, December 13, 2010- The State Judicial Nominating Commission, which is responsible for selecting nominees for appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court, announced today it will begin accepting applications for the vacancies that will occur when the terms of Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, Justice Michael Streit and Justice David Baker end on December 31. The Commission has sixty days to send a slate of nominees to the Governor, who makes appointments to the court.

The deadline for applications is January 14, 2011. Any citizen may submit in writing to the secretary of the commission, or to any commissioner, the names of persons for consideration as a candidate for nomination and express views concerning such candidate. Once the application time has run, the Commission will release the names of all applicants along with information about each applicant's background, experience, and qualifications. This list and other information about the nominating commission and Iowa's merit selection process will be available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website: www.iowacourts.gov.

The Commission plans to meet the week of January 24, 2011, to interview applicants and select a slate of nominees. The meeting schedule and location are yet to be determined. However, in light of heightened public interest in judicial appointments, the Commission plans to open the interview portion of the meeting to Iowans throughout the state by streaming the interviews on the Internet.

The 15-member commission is composed of a chair, who is the senior justice of the supreme court other than the chief justice, seven lawyer commissioners elected by lawyers licensed to practice law in Iowa and seven non-lawyer commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate. With the exception of the commission chair, membership on the commission is limited to one six-year term. Terms are staggered. The Iowa Constitution requires that commission members be chosen without regard to political affiliation.

Iowa's process for selecting judges through the use of nominating commissions is known as merit selection. Iowa voters approved the merit selection process in 1962 by constitutional amendment. Merit selection is designed to emphasize the professional qualifications of applicants for judicial appointment and minimize partisan politics. In keeping with this design, the Commission put applicants for judicial office through a rigorous and thorough screening by reviewing extensive information about each applicant's background, education, professional skills, and experience. After the interviews, the commission sends the governor a slate of nominees. Iowa law requires nominees to be chosen "upon the basis of their qualifications and without regard to political affiliation." The governor is required to pick the new justices from this slate.

Important Notice to Applicants: To be eligible for appointment to the court, a person must be a resident of the state, licensed to practice law in Iowa, and must be of such age that they will be able to serve an initial and one regular term of office before reaching the age of 72. To be most favorably considered for balloting, an applicant must file a letter of intent to file an application with the secretary of the commission by January 10, 2011. In addition, an applicant must submit completed application forms to the commission on or before January 14, 2011.