Judicial resolution makes ballot

CARSON CITY -- Under a resolution approved 28-13 Wednesday in the Assembly, voters will decide in the November 2010 election whether to amend the Nevada Constitution to allow governors to pick Supreme Court justices and district judges.

Assembly Judiciary Chairman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, voted against Senate Joint Resolution 2, saying it would end the long tradition of allowing citizens to elect judges and justices.

"This is absolutely essential to our system," Anderson said.

But Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said residents in urban areas no longer know much about the judicial candidates on the ballot.

"They vote for the names, the signs and the perennial candidates," she said. "We are losing access to justice by having terribly unqualified people serve."

Under the resolution, a commission on judicial selection would review candidates for the Supreme Court or district court. Commission members would select who they believe are the three best candidates and forward those names to the governor. The governor then would pick the judge.

Because the resolution was passed earlier by the Senate and received legislative approval in 2007, it will be placed automatically on next year's general election ballot. Governors do not have authority to sign or veto resolutions.