In Support of Action to Improve Judicial Selection and Improve Public Confidence in the Judiciary
Resolution 7: In Support of Action to Improve Judicial Selection and Improve Public Confidence in the Judiciary
WHEREAS, the Conference of Chief Justices co-sponsored a National Symposium on Judicial Speech Post-White, held in February 2005 and attended by justices, judges and others from 38 states; and
WHEREAS, the Symposium participants prepared a Call To Action/2005 to reflect developments since the Summit on Improving Judicial Selection issued its Call To Action in December, 2000, and to urge the Conference of Chief Justices to take the following steps:
- To issue a public declaration regarding the unique nature of judicial elections
- To make recommendations on three key steps to protect and promote public confidence in the courts:
- Develop programs of outreach by judges and lawyers to help the public understand what judges do and particularly how their jobs differ from the jobs of other elected officials
- Enhance efforts that seek to promote a culture of judicial elections so that the public and candidates understand the importance of having judicial elections conducted in ways that protect the reality and appearance of open-mindedness and fairness
- Identify measures that will attract and retain on the bench people who will be quality judges, including encouraging states to establish special commissions to review judges' pay and make changes if warranted.
- To review and take action on the 20 recommendations put forward in the original Call To Action, adjusted to respond to events since 2000;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Conference assigns the CCJ Task Force on Politics and Judicial Elections the responsibility of drafting an action plan to implement the above steps.
Adopted as proposed by the CCJ Task Force on Politics and Judicial Elections at the 58th Annual Meeting on August 2, 2006.