The nine-member Judicial Nominating Commission, which screens candidates for state judgeships, has lost its only nonwhite member and is now two members short.

Jametta O. Alston said she had to leave the commission because she is now serving as the state’s child advocate. State law prohibits serving on the commission while holding any compensated federal, state or municipal public office.

Carcieri chose Alston for the Judicial Nominating Commission in 2003, fulfilling a promise to minority groups to add diversity to the panel. Carcieri had been criticized for, among other things, passing over a black woman for a Supreme Court seat. He said that as a “prominent African-American lawyer,” Alston would “bring a critically important perspective” to the process.

Also, Kevin A. Turner has left the commission after moving to Connecticut, said Girard R. Visconti, chairman of the commission.

The two vacancies became evident recently when the commission selected finalists for the Superior Court opening created by the death of Judge William A. Dimitri Jr. The commission often sends a list of five finalists to the governor, but it submitted just four names for Dimitri’s seat.

Visconti said that because the committee was shorthanded, it was tougher for candidates to secure the necessary number of votes under the commission’s complex voting system. “The voting process contemplates nine people on the committee,” he said.

Visconti said he hopes the commission vacancies are filled soon. Carcieri is responsible for replacing Alston, and House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson, R-East Greenwich, is responsible for giving Carcieri a list of at least three nominees for Turner’s seat.