Meeting Public Comments

Katie Morgan

Please vote no on this bill. I served on a Judicial District 3A Nominating Commission. I also serve as an attorney in private practice and as a county attorney. Judges are needed on the commission as the Judge knows what the job requires. No one else on the commission has that exact experience. Here, the Judge also knows usually the majority, if not all, of the applicants from having them appear as attorneys in court before them. They know the applicant's work ethic, character, intelligence, and disposition from seeing them represent individuals and businesses. In my experience on the commission, Judges do not try to persuade the rest of the commission on a certain applicant because of their political preference or views. They give honest comments on the performance of the applicants in court, their demeanor, timeliness, intelligence, writing skills, and character. Those are the things that count when selecting a Judge. If you allow less people who are knowledgeable about the legal system on the commission, you will degrade our legal system.