Judges Commons^™

Rethinking Judicial Nominating Commissions: Independence, Accountability, And Public Support , Joseph A. Colquitt

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The Article focuses on one of the pillars of the judicial appointive process, the judicial nominating commission, suggesting that all jurisdictions should have judicial nominating commissions. A judicial nominating commission exists to screen and select nominees for judgeships. This article envisions and describe a system that more likely will result in selecting the right person for the bench.

Wyoming’S Judicial Selection Process: Is It Getting The Job Done?, Marilyn S. Kite

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article explains Wyoming’s commission based judicial selection process, studies how it has performed over the years, and looks to see what lessons we can learn from that history, and consider how it can be improved. Throughout this Article, the focus will be on what attributes of a judicial selection system best result in an independent, accountable, and vibrant judiciary.

Enhancing Diversity In An Appointive System Of Selecting Judges, Leo M. Romero

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Article examines the different measures that states, with a particular focus on New Mexico, have adopted in order to enhance diversity in their appointive systems and proposes ways to structure an appointive system that gives due consideration to concerns about diversity. This Article concludes that an appointive system should be designed to require consideration of diversity in the composition of nominating commissions and in the evaluation of applicants.

A Role For Disciplinary Agencies In The Judicial Selection Process, Robert H. Tembeckjian

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses the role of judicial disciplinary agencies. The article first summarizes the currently defined roles of these agencies and the methods they employ for monitoring and disciplining judges. The article then discusses whether it would be appropriate for these agencies to become more involved in the process of judicial selection and work to vet and investigate candidates.

A Tribute To Hon. George Bundy Smith -- A Good Lawyer, Mark Alcott

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Speech given in tribute to George Bundy Smith, including discussion of his contributions to Fordham Law activities, volunteer organizations, and for the New York State Bar Association, in addition to his work as a writer, teacher, and family member.

A Tribute To Hon. George Bundy Smith -- Excellence, Sandra Jefferson Grannum

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A tribute to George Bundy Smith, focusing on his commitment to excellence as a teacher, mentor, and professional.

A Tribute To Hon. George Bundy Smith -- Leadership, Fern Fisher

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A tribute to George Bundy Smith, highlighting his commitment to social justice.

If You Prompt Them, They Will Rule: The Warranty Of Habitability Meets New Court Information Systems, 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 425 (2007), Mary Marsh Zulack

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing Lingle: Implications For Takings Doctrine, 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 573 (2007), Dale A. Whitman

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Tribute To Hon. George Bundy Smith, William Michael Treanor

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Opening remarks at ceremony honoring Judge George Bundy Smith, including anecdotes from past students, an overview of Judge Smith's career and accomplishments, and a recognition of distinguished guests in the audience.

The State Secrets Privilege And Separation Of Powers, Amanda Frost

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Since September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has repeatedly invoked the state secrets privilege in cases challenging executive conduct in the war on terror, arguing that the very subject matter of these cases must be kept secret to protect national security. The executive's recent assertion of the privilege is unusual, in that it is seeking dismissal, pre-discovery, of all challenges to the legality of specific executive branch programs, rather than asking for limits on discovery in individual cases. This essay contends that the executive's assertion of the privilege is therefore akin to a claim that the courts lack jurisdiction to …

Separate And Obedient: The Judicial Qualification Missing From The Job Description, J. Amy Dillard

All Faculty Scholarship

The national debate about the role of judges, their qualifications and ideologies consumes news coverage, as evidenced by the recent appointment hearings of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito and the aborted nomination of Harriet Miers. The American Bar Association is in the process of re-evaluating and updating its Model Code of Judicial Conduct. The poverty of the quality of the debate, with legislators on both sides of the aisle discussing a few political issues and largely ignoring issues of ethics and temperament, leaves the public with little helpful information about whether judicial candidates will abide by the …

“An Ingenious Man Enabled By Contract”: Entrepreneurship And The Rise Of Contract, Catherine Fisk

Faculty Scholarship

A legal ideology emerged in the 1870s that celebrated contract as the body of law with the particular purpose of facilitating the formation of productive exchanges that would enrich the parties to the contract and, therefore, society as a whole. Across the spectrum of intellectual property, courts used the legal fiction of implied contract, and a version of it particularly emphasizing liberty of contract, to shift control of workplace knowledge from skilled employees to firms while suggesting that the emergence of hierarchical control and loss of entrepreneurial opportunity for creative workers was consistent with the free labor ideology that dominated …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Confirmation Hearings Of The Justices Of The Rehnquist Natural Court, 24 Const. Comment. 127 (2007), Jason J. Czarnezki, William K. Ford, Lori A. Ringhand

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Scalia's Poker: Puzzles And Mysteries In Constitutional Interpretation, 24 Const. Comment. 663 (2007), Timothy P. O'Neill

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

"The Stepford Justices": The Need For Experiential Diversity On The Roberts Court, 60 Okla. L. Rev. 701 (2007), Timothy P. O'Neill

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Kentucky 2006 Judicial Elections, William H. Fortune, Al Cross

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This Article is a short report on the impact of Republican Party of Minnesota v. White on the 2006 Kentucky judicial campaigns and elections. The series of events leading up to the 2006 elections can be traced to at least 1988.

While the Kentucky Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee (KJCCC) cannot claim a great impact on Kentucky's 2006 judicial elections, the authors of this Article believe that the committee played a positive role. For the most part, judicial candidates campaigned in a dignified and ethical manner, and refrained from running on issues that might strike a chord with the electorate. Judicial …

A Memoir Of The First Chief Judge By The Fifth Chief Judge, 6 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 310 (2007), Paul R. Michel

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

"The Stepford Justices": The Need For Experiential Diversity On The Roberts Court, Timothy P. O'Neill

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Analysis Of The Confirmation Hearings Of The Justices Of The Rehnquist Natural Court, Jason J. Czarnezki

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Despite the importance of this question, surprisingly little work has been done comparing the statements made by nominees at their confirmation hearings with their subsequent behavior on the Supreme Court. If the hearings reveal substantively valuable information about nominees' views, then we would expect to find a relationship between the Justices' statements and their judicial decisions. This Article is an initial look at that relationship. Specifically, we examine statements involving the nominees' views on stare decisis, originalism and legislative history, and also statements involving their views on the rights of criminal defendants. We then rank order the nominees' confirmation hearings …

Capital Defense Representation, Norman Lefstein

Indiana Law Journal

Symposium: Toward A Model Death Penalty Code: The Massachusetts Governor's Council Report.

Roscoe Pound Round-Table Discussion, Judith Resnik, Leroy Rountree Hassell Sr., Margaret H. Marshall, Clifford W. Taylor, Lucy A. Dalglish, Luke Bierman, Mark S. Curriden

Indiana Law Journal

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana.

The State Of The Onion: Peeling Back The Layers Of America's Ambivalence Toward Judicial Independence, Charles G. Geyh

Indiana Law Journal

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana.

From Kiev To Columbus: A Perspective On Judicial Independence, Thomas J. Moyer

Indiana Law Journal

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana.

Judges' Pay: A Chasm Far Worse Than Realized, And Worsening, Roy A. Schotland

Indiana Law Journal

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana.

Judges' Pay: A Chasm Far Worse Than Realized, And Worsening, Roy A. Schotland

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

For our state judges today, let us put aside what might be thought their appropriate "reward" compared to the "reward" for private-sector lawyers. Of course judges earn less than they would in private practice, and of course judges enjoy "rewards" other than salaries. What is surprising is how severe the gap is between the pay for judges and for the private bar-and, strikingly, the gap between the pay for judges and for other public employees. What is deeply disturbing, indeed dangerous, is how the gaps are worsening. Our compensation for judges is so low, that by reducing the caliber and …

Diversity On The Bench And The Quest For Justice For All, Theresa M. Beiner

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Judicial Performance Review: A Balance Between Judicial Independence And Public Accountability, Jean E. Dubofsky

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses judicial appointment and judicial independence in Colorado. The article argues that in Colorado, the independence of the judiciary needs to be protected, perhaps more than at any other time in the state’s history. While public accountability is important, it is achieved through the executive and legislative branches of the government. The courts function best if judges are free to decide each case without regard to how the general public might put a thumb on the scales of justice. To the degree that judicial performance commissions can protect judicial independence, while providing voters in retention elections with sufficient …

A Comparison Of The Criminal Appellate Decisions Of Appointed State Supreme Courts: Insights, Questions, And Implications For Judicial Independence, Aman L. Mcleod

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Article presents the results of a study conducted to see whether state supreme courts selected in states with dissimilar appointment systems differ in the way they decide criminal appeals. Comparing the criminal decisions of courts selected with different appointment systems may also suggest something about how different appointment systems impact judicial independence.

Popular Dissatisfaction With The Administration Of Justice: A Retrospective (And A Look Ahead), Barry Friedman

Indiana Law Journal

Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators Annual Meeting July 29-August 2, 2006 Indianapolis, Indiana.