A justice watchdog group is calling on the Constitution revision commission to tweak the process that sends new judges to the bench.
The governor fills vacancies in Florida鈥檚 courts, but his or her selection is confined to a list of candidates advanced by a judicial nominating commission. It鈥檚 meant to insulate the bench from partisanship, but the Florida Access to Justice Project believes those protections are eroding. Spokesman Damien Filer describes the goal of the group鈥檚 recommendations for the Constitution Revision Commission.
鈥淩emoving the politics from our judicial nominating commission process,鈥� Filer says, 鈥渁nd doing everything that they can to ensure that we reflect the diversity of our state on our bench.鈥�
Filer explains Florida Governor Rick Scott has already rejected 90 people recommended by the Florida bar to serve on a judicial nominating commission. The group鈥檚 proposal includes conflict of interest protections and language encouraging diversity.
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