Putting Nevada On The Radar Screen
May 28, 2008
The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently polled lawyers in Clark County, Nevada to find out which system they favored for selecting judges: democratic elections, where voters decide, or a “merit selection” system, where a committee of lawyers vets candidates in secret and then sends an approved list to the governor.
Guess what? Lawyers think they ought to be in control!
Although the margin was overwhelming (2:1) at least one attorney got it right:
“The system we have in place [democratic elections] is the best. It allows the citizens of Clark County the opportunity to get rid of judges in elections, as they have clearly done in the past,” one pro-elections attorney wrote.
Nevada citizens have twice voted to preserve democratic elections and turned thumbs down on “merit selection.” But the lawyers keep on trying. Legislation has been introduced in the Nevada Senate (Senate Joint Resolution 2) to do away with elections, but it must pass the legislature twice before it can be put before the voters again - that means no earlier than 2010.