Florida Supreme Court Selection Litigation

Three Florida Supreme Court justices are required to leave the court in January because of reaching a mandatory retirement age. All three are, the Orlando Sentinel writes, part of what is "widely considered a left-leaning majority on the seven-member court." That has led to the possibility that their replacements could spur a rightward shift of the court, debate about whether Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who will also leave office in January, should have the authority to appoint the new justices or whether that power should go to his successor. 

The Judicial Nominating Commission will have 60 days — expiring shortly after the election — to nominate a list of three to six people for each court vacancy. Unless a lawsuit stops this process. "The League of Women Voters and Common Cause of Florida have asked the state supreme court to stop the Judicial Nominating Commission from nominating candidates to fill the vacancies," The Tampa Bay Times reports. "Their case was previously struck down because Scott had not yet picked new justices, but last week, he directed the commission to begin seeking nominees."

The Case for "Political Appointment" of Judges

Vanderbilt Law Professor Brian Fitzpatrick authored a new paper arguing for what he calls "political appointment" as the best way to select state judges.

Prof. Fitzpatrick and I will discuss this paper in a Teleforum this Monday, May
21, 2018, 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT for the Federalist Society

Kansas City Lawyer’s Pro-Democrat Blog Posts Could be an Issue in Judicial Confirmation

According to the ABA Journal:

Kansas City lawyer Stephen Bough last posted commentary on a political blog in 2009, but he now has some new readers.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering Bough’s nomination to be a judge in the Western District of Missouri, and his blog is getting a closer look, according to Legal Times (sub. req.). A personal injury lawyer, Bough posted comments favoring Democrats on the blog when he led a group called Committee for County Progress.

One post expressed hope that voters would oust U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who remains in the Senate. Another statement, made in the comments section, said, "You and the 3 other folks who read this blog will agree I shouldn't be a judge.”

British Perspective on Political Accountability of Judges

"Is There a Case for Greater Legislative Involvement in the Judicial Appointments Process?"

The Study of Parliament Group Paper No. 3, London by Alexander Horne.

It's abstract says "the UK’s top court is more frequently determining essentially socio-political questions. In the light of this expanding judicial role, this paper asks whether new mechanisms for increasing political accountability, such as a parliamentary confirmation procedure, are needed for appointment to the most senior judicial offices (including, but not limited to, the UK Supreme Court)."

"The research examines whether new methods of accountability could be introduced in the UK without impacting on judicial independence."