Elon Law professor Scott Gaylord published a column in the Greensboro News and Record on May 15 detailing concerns with proposed legislation to change North Carolina's method of judicial selection. His research on the low number of cases being decided in recent years by the North Carolina Supreme Court was highlighted in the 2010 Annual Report of The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies and in the May 6, 2011 edition of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
Gaylord’s article, “Dicey ideas for choosing judges,” published in the Sunday, May 15, 2011 edition of the News & Record, calls for careful consideration and discussion of proposed changes to the state’s system of judicial selection. Specifically, he expresses concern about the degree of political and ideological influence that may enter into deliberations of the proposed judicial selection committee of the state, as opposed to the current system of selecting judges through public elections. He also points out that judicial candidates would still need to raise money to fund re-election campaigns under the proposed system, even though one of arguments for changing the system is to remove the taint of improper influence through donations to the election campaigns of judicial candidates.
The 2010 Annual Report of The Federalist Society highlights a White Paper authored by Gaylord on the low number of cases being decided by the North Carolina Supreme Court and the resultant lack of legal guidance for the state, suggesting that the research will be an important resource as debates over judicial selection continue on the state.
A May 6 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly article draws on Gaylord’s research in the productivity of the state Supreme Court and on his insights related to the possible implications of the low rate of decisions by the court, including deterring certain companies from coming to North Carolina or impacting voters’ choices in judicial elections.
Click here for more information on Elon Law professor Scott Gaylord.