Will Pennsylvania see the next serious push to remove a state Supreme Court justice in a retention election? Two reform activists want to make that happen. Gavel Grab has details.
"This independence of the judges is ... requisite to guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals."
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 78.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 78.
Recent Fair-Courts Articles
New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin discussed the importance of protecting impartial courts from political influence and called on the public to help. For more, see Gavel Grab.
Justice at Stake raised concerns about legislation under consideration in some states to prosecute officials, including judges, who enforce federal firearms laws. For more, see Gavel Grab.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve President Obama’s nomination of Sri Srinivasan for the nation’s second most influential appeals court. Learn more from Gavel Grab.
The Kansas Bar Association’s board rejected a proposal from key legislators wanting to revamp the state’s merit selection plan for choosing top judges and add Senate confirmation as a requirement. Read more at Gavel Grab.
Efforts to change the way judges are selected have grown into a national trend, according to an AP article about an attack on merit selection in Kansas. The article also spotlighted Justice at Stake. See Gavel Grab for more.
There is controversy over a judge’s order that convicted ex-Justice Joan Orie Melvin of Pennsylvania write an apology to her former fellow jurists on a photograph of her in handcuffs. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
Ex-Justice Joan Orie Melvin of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was ordered by a judge to apologize for her crimes to all state judges, and a reform group urged her to apologize to the public too. See Gavel Grab for more.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared on an episode of ABC’s “The View” this week to discuss her memoir, “My Beloved World.”
Tennessee state Sen. Mae Beavers called the U.S. Supreme Court a “dictatorship” as she pushed for a nullification bill she had introduced. Find out details from Gavel Grab.
Former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin was sentenced to three years of house arrest on corruption convictions arising from two high court campaigns. Read more in Gavel Grab.
A new poll of North Carolina voters shows strong support for the state’s public financing program for appellate court candidates, which critics are pushing to dismantle. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
On Friday, Louisiana’s Judicial Campaign Oversight Committee declared that Jefferson Parish judicial candidate Hilary Landry violated the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct.
GOP lawmakers continue to play politics with federal judicial nominees, bringing the confirmation process to a grinding halt, reports MSNBC. On Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday, the host and her guests discussed the problems that have led to a rise in judicial vacancies across the country.
Justice at Stake and some other national and local groups are working to preserve a program for public financing of appellate court candidates in North Carolina from efforts to eliminate it, the AP reported. See Gavel Grab for details.
Public officials from California, New York, Alaska, Maine and other states dialed in to a conference call last month to discuss how to address the rise in undisclosed campaign funds that abounded in the 2012 election. Read details in Gavel Grab.
A bill to make permanent the public financing of West Virginia Supreme Court candidates became law on May 1, and Justice at Stake saluted Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin for his support. Gavel Grab has details.
Sponsors withdrew a a retaliatory amendment to slash the salaries of four Iowa Supreme Court justices who participated in a controversial ruling on same-sex marriage. Details available from Gavel Grab.
Action by Congress and the president to end flight delays caused by federal budget cuts is piecemeal and fails to address delays in the delivery of justice, Justice at Stake told congressional leaders. Visit Gavel Grab for more.
Former Justice Elizabeth Weaver of the Michigan Supreme Court has written a book that is sharply critical of “dark money” judicial campaign expenditures that cannot be traced to corporations or individuals. Read Gavel Grab for more.
Raising campaign money for judicial elections puts the integrity of North Carolina’s courts at risk, former Governors Jim Holshouser and Jim Hunt write in a newspaper op-ed. For more, see Gavel Grab.
A legislative proposal to slash by 85 percent the salaries of four Iowa Supreme Court justices is punitive and reflects an effort to intimidate judges, Justice at Stake said. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
A court-bashing amendment proposed in Iowa's legislature would slash to $25,000 the salaries of four Supreme Court justices who participated in a unanimous ruling on same-sex marriage. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
The Senate confirmed Jane Kelly, an assistant public defender in Iowa, to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday by a 96-0 vote. Gavel Grab has more.
Tennessee's legislature let die a measure written to extend the life of the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission, which now is set to go out of business after June 30. Check out Gavel Grab for details.
