Jurists’ selection panels to open

An important aspect of the Nevada judicial system that has long been kept secret is being opened to public scrutiny.

The group that interviews and nominates lawyers to fill vacant District Court judgeships and Supreme Court justice positions will now hold open hearings so the public can monitor how and why a candidate is selected.

The seven-member Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection chose to make the hearings public to bolster public confidence in judicial appointments, said Bill Gang, spokesman for the Nevada Supreme Court.

"By opening up the system, we will be able to ensure that all candidates are fairly treated and the best applicants are nominated," he said Thursday, a day after the commission voted to open up the process.

The commission is made up of Chief Justice William Maupin, three non-attorneys who are appointed by the governor and three attorneys appointed by the state bar association.

Maupin, who wasn't available for comment on Thursday, said the commission believes that the application process is something the public should see.

"This is an experiment in open government we know will succeed," he said in a statement.

Previously, the commission did most of its work behind closed doors. The commission interviews, conducts background investigations and gathers public comments on candidates when a mid-term vacancy opens up. The commission then sends its nominees to the governor, who makes the final decision.

In March, Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons appointed two new district court judges to fill Clark County District Court benches left vacant after Nancy Saitta and Michael Cherry were elected to the Nevada Supreme Court in November 2006.

The two new judges, David Barker and Michael Villani, must win election in 2008 if they want to keep the judgeships.

Although the application, interviewing and deliberation process will now be public, some information will still be kept secret.

The commission won't make public some personal information about the applicants like health issues or Social Security information, Gang said.

The commission will also keep confidential letters that it solicits from the public about the candidate. They can be letters of praise or complaints. The letters are kept secret from the candidate too.

The information is kept confidential because the commission wants the letter writers to be as candid and open about the candidate as possible, Gang said.

The specifics of the votes cast by commission members will also be kept under wraps to reduce the effects of politics on the selection process, Gang said.

One factor in the commission's decision to open up the hearings is Senate Joint Resolution 2, a proposed constitutional amendment that would end Nevada's 143-year tradition of allowing voters to pick judges in contested elections, said Gang.

That proposal still needs approval from the 2009 legislature before appearing on a ballot.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-1039.