Projo Politics Blog

The Judicial Nominating Commission is scheduled to meet tomorrow to decide which candidates to interview for a Family Court vacancy.
Family Court Judge Pamela M. Macktaz is planning to retire Aug. 31, after 23 years on the bench. The commission has received about 20 applications for that judgeship, Chairman Stephen J. Carlotti said.
The commission will also “consider the process for reviewing the applications for the two vacancies on the District Court and the number of applicants to be recommended,” according to the meeting agenda.
District Judge Richard A. Gonnella died in May, after seven years as a judge, and District Judge Patricia D. Moore was to retire July 31 after 20 years as a judge. The commission has received a total of about 40 applications for those two vacancies, Carlotti said.
The commission screens candidates and gives the governor a list of three to five finalists for each vacancy. Carlotti said the commission would discuss how to proceed and how many finalists to recommend now that there were two vacancies at the same time on the District Court.
In this round of judicial selection, a new factor is at play: Under a bill that became law in June, Governor Carcieri can choose his nominees from lists that are up to five years old, or he can select from the new lists that the commission will generate in the months ahead.
Carcieri proposed the change, saying that if candidates got through the Judicial Nominating Commission process, they should remain eligible for a period of time. Common Cause of Rhode Island opposed the change, saying, “Longer lists multiply the opportunities to shoehorn weak but well-connected candidates into contention.”
Tomorrow’s commission meeting is set to begin at 5:15 p.m. at the Department of Administration building, at One Capitol Hill, second floor, conference Room A.

-- By Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.