MWL Supports Retention Elections

The following is an update from Kelly Francis on MWL's recent public policy decisions:

At MWL's March Board meeting, the Board of Directors voted to support legislation proposing a constitutional amendment to move from contested judicial elections to retention elections. The proposed amendment stemmed from the recommendations of the Quie Commission, a group tasked with evaluating the potential ramifications of recent Supreme Court decisions on impartiality in Minnesota courts. In particular, the Commission was concerned that political and financial influences that had previously been restricted would start to interfere with judicial elections and outcomes. The resulting bills, SF70 and HF224, would change our current election process to an appointment and retention system with a Performance Evaluation Commission to evaluate appointed judges' qualifications.

The Board of Directors also voted to add MWL to the Coalition for Impartial Justice as a supporter of the pending legislation. The Coalition for Impartial Justice currently consists of 27 supporting organizations, both legal and non-legal.