During the campaign, Gov. Terry Branstad refused to speak about the retention election three state Supreme Court justices faced. However, he did say he wanted to change the way judges are nominated and mentioned he’d like a system similar to one used at the federal level, where he would nominate someone who would then have to be confirmed by the Iowa Senate.
House Republicans have answered Branstad’s wish with House Joint Resolution 12, which would throw out the current judicial selection method and replace it with the federal system. Under the current system, known as the Missouri Plan, appointments are nominated by an independent commission, then sent to the governor for a final selection. Branstad is currently reviewing the nine nominees for the three vacancies on the high court. He’s been given 30 days to make his three selections.
The resolution repeals the Missouri Plan effective Jan. 1, 2015, and would also include the same process for district court appointments. The Court of Appeals is left untouched.
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Complete article at Iowa Independent : http://bit.ly/gpl1dZ
