Montgomery, AL – Two Republican justices are defending a decision by the GOP majority on the Alabama Supreme Court to reject rule changes that would have made it easier for the public to file complaints against judges.
A committee of the America Bar Association had recommended Alabama do away with a rule that judges be notified of who files complaints against them and the evidence gathered. The committee said Alabama is out of step with the rest of the nation.
The Supreme Court decided against the ABA panel's recommendation on April 1. Now Justices Patti Smith and Mike Bolin have issued special writings about the decision. Smith says the disclosure rule is appropriate in a state with hotly contested partisan elections. Most states don't pick judges that way.
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