I had previously written how Gov. Spitzer was pushing judiciary reforms that included restructuring and consolidating New York’s court system, and creating a new screening committee to pick judges that was not partisan based.
Now, according to Capitol Confidential, he may be near a deal on reforming the way our trial court judges are selected. As per Elizabeth Benjamin, this would entail:
a so-called “down-the-middle” proposal that doesn’t completely do away with the traditional convention system of selecting state Supreme Court candidates (ruled unconstitutional last January) but modifies it to be more open.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer pushed this issue to the front burner when he declared on the day of his first State of the State speech that he wouldn’t support “anything that has a closed conventions structure,” insisting “there must be a way to primary onto the ballot.”
You can read more on the subject at the Brennan Center for Justice’s blog at ReformNY, or by Jason Boog at Judicial Reports.
[Update – 2/12/07 – New York Trial Justices Oppose Role In Chief Judge’s New Screening Committees]