Post by pavel on Apr 21, 2016 3:19:28 GMT -6
Conservative lawmakers say liberal attorneys have too much say in making Oklahoma’s judicial appointments. A bill proposing changes to Oklahoma’s judicial appointment system would require approval by the House and Senate for judicial confirmation, making it more like the federal system.
Critics say that change would politicize the judicial appointment process, potentially creating long-term vacancies and costing taxpayer dollars if a special session must be called to deal with a vacancy.
The bill’s authors disagree.
“The current judicial nominating process is highly political, not transparent, and vests too much influence into the hands of trial lawyers in Oklahoma,” said President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, the senate author House Bill 3162. “This measure would remove the outsized influence of trial lawyers, provide more transparency by allowing the governor to select from a wider and more diverse pool of qualified attorneys, and ultimately returns power to the people by allowing their directly elected representatives to select and confirm the men and women who serve as judges in Oklahoma.”
In fact, a majority of the Judicial Nominating Commission are not attorneys and are prohibited from being attorneys by the state constitution.
Read more: www.normantranscript.com/news/government/bill-proposes-changes-for-the-state-s-judicial-nominating-process/article_60228941-3d54-5a77-afb2-0e4b9d889592.html
Critics say that change would politicize the judicial appointment process, potentially creating long-term vacancies and costing taxpayer dollars if a special session must be called to deal with a vacancy.
The bill’s authors disagree.
“The current judicial nominating process is highly political, not transparent, and vests too much influence into the hands of trial lawyers in Oklahoma,” said President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, the senate author House Bill 3162. “This measure would remove the outsized influence of trial lawyers, provide more transparency by allowing the governor to select from a wider and more diverse pool of qualified attorneys, and ultimately returns power to the people by allowing their directly elected representatives to select and confirm the men and women who serve as judges in Oklahoma.”
In fact, a majority of the Judicial Nominating Commission are not attorneys and are prohibited from being attorneys by the state constitution.
Read more: www.normantranscript.com/news/government/bill-proposes-changes-for-the-state-s-judicial-nominating-process/article_60228941-3d54-5a77-afb2-0e4b9d889592.html