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Kyle Sullivan
617-725-4025
Governor Deval L. Patrick today announced that he has issued an executive order reconstituting the Governor's Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and setting guidelines that will enhance the commission's objectivity, emphasize the importance of recruiting candidates that represent a true cross section of the community, and curtail lobbying.
The JNC advises the governor regarding appointments to the appeals court and trial court departments. The commission's 21 members are appointed by the governor and serve at his pleasure.
"The judiciary is a cornerstone of our constitutional democracy and the selection of high caliber judges possessing the qualities of integrity, judgment, intelligence, temperament, competence, and commitment to justice are essential to a properly functioning judiciary. The Executive Order I have issued provides for a judicial nominating commission which I will appoint to advise me in the selection of judges, and which I will trust to play an important substantive role in recruiting a diverse pool of talented applicants from all corners of the Commonwealth, and in selecting the best of those applicants to be considered by me for judicial appointments."
Governor Patrick's Executive Order includes the following initiatives:
- The order vests in the JNC the important role of objectively screening and recommending qualified judicial candidates, instructing the JNC to send the Governor no fewer than three and no more than six recommended candidates for each vacancy. The order also vests the JNC with the discretion to transmit a lesser or greater number of names depending on the strength of the applicant pool for particular vacancies.
- It emphasizes the importance of actively recruiting and selecting pre-eminent judicial candidates who are drawn from all corners of the Commonwealth and represent a true cross-section of the community, thereby reflecting our citizens' racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.
- Governor Patrick's order broadens the prohibition on lobbying for applicants, restricting lobbying throughout the review and nomination process.
- The order implements a bifurcated interview and due diligence review process to ensure the ability of the JNC to conduct a thorough review of qualified candidates
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