The Judicial Selection Process

Judges are chosen in a variety of ways. The president appoints Federal Courts judges, with the advice and permission of the Senate. The states courts are appointed by the governor; merit selection, where the governor appoints a judge from a list of names submitted by a special nominating commission; appointment by the legislature; partisan election, where the candidates political affiliations are mentioned on the ballot; and nonpartisan election, where no political party is mentioned. Each state within the United States has its own unique judicial selection process within its own court system.

In this paper I will, Discuss the judicial selection process of my state, choose a second state, and describe the qualifications and the selection

It was established to recommend candidates to fill vacancies on the Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals, Superior courts and State courts (judicialselection.us; 2016). The commission put in a recommendation for five candidates to the governor for each judicial vacancy. But fewer will be recommended if there are less than five qualified. In 2009, the state 's Democratic congressional delegation selected a twelve-member panel to screen applicants and recommend nominees for federal district judge, prosecutor, and marshal vacancies in the state (judicialselection.us; 2016). The Georgia Constitution establishes the various trial and appellate courts that make up the state’s judicial system and outlines the qualifications for service of its judges. Curiously, at least to the uninitiated, it provides for nonpartisan elections for terms of four years for trial judges and six years for appellate jurists (Markle, Todd; July 12, 2013).

The highest court in the state of Georgia is the Supreme Court. This court is generally the last word, although decisions may be petitioned for appeal to the United States Supreme Court if they involve federal constitutional law. Georgia Supreme Court has seven justices and they are chosen by popular vote in nonpartisan elections. The Court of Appeals has statewide appellate jurisdiction of all cases except those involving constitutional

In comparison, both New York and Georgia have age requirements and years of law experience needed to become a judge. They both can also be appointed or elected as judges. In contrast, New York runs under their political party. In Georgia, the judicial qualifications commission may discipline, retire, or remove a judge from the bench (judicialselection.us; 2016). The Supreme Court must review all removal and retirement decisions. There can be three ways to remove judges in the State of New York. Judges may be admonished, censured, retired, or removed from office by the commission on judicial conduct in which the commission’s disciplinary actions are subject to review by the court of appeals (judicialselection.us;