Licensed attorneys, former judicial officers, and nonattorney members of the public who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) may apply for appointment by completing an online applicationby May 1, 2023.
Members of the JNE Commission investigate and evaluate the governor's candidates for judicial appointment. They do not nominate or appoint them. The JNE Commission is governed by a code of strict confidentiality.
Commissioners serve a single three-year term. The commission chair serves a fourth year.
Qualifications
Applications are sought from attorney and nonattorney members of the public who have the skills and experience to assess candidates for judicial appointment and to provide timely and well-written reports.
Attorney commissioners must be active licensees in good standing with the State Bar of California, with a preference for those in practice seven to nine years or more.
Consideration will be given to attorney applicants who have substantial litigation, trial, and/or appellate experience.
Commission membership may include one or more former judicial officers; those with appellate backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.
Workload and time commitment
Commissioners are required to attend the orientation, which occurs in San Francisco toward the end of January each cycle, and must commit to undertaking a substantial workload requiring a minimum of 20-40 hours per month. Because external factors may result in intermittent increases in this workload, applicants should carefully consider their ability to commit the requisite time.
Time commitment includes required attendance at a minimum of six meetings every other month. Meetings are held in person and alternate between the San Francisco and Los Angeles State Bar offices.
Commission members work in rotating, investigative teams of two to four persons, depending on whether the judicial candidate is a superior court, intermediate appellate court, or Supreme Court, candidate. Typically, each commissioner will have several assignments per meeting, in lead and/or co-commissioner capacities. Work during each investigative cycle is of varying intensity but is particularly demanding at the inception of an investigation and toward its conclusion several weeks before the meeting. Each assignment typically requires at least 10 hours of preparation by each commissioner.
Candidate interviews are conducted via Zoom.
Commissioners are reimbursed for approved travel in accordance with State Bar policy.
Conditions of appointment and service
Each commission member takes an oath of office and is sworn in at the annual orientation meeting.
As a condition of appointment, each commission member agrees to abstain from endorsing any candidate for judicial office, and to refrain from participating in any judicial candidate's campaign for office in the form of donations, personal efforts or in-kind services, or in non-JNE activities related to the judicial selection process, including appearing before or voting as a member of any other committee or commission involved in the judicial selection process.
Commissioners may not apply for or accept a State of California judicial appointment, nor agree to be considered for or evaluated as a candidate for such an appointment, while a member of the commission or until such time thereafter that a majority of the commission consists of members with whom the commission member did not serve, (i.e., two to three years after completing service on the commission).
Commissioners are appointed by and serve at the will of the Board of Trustees and may be removed with or without good cause.
A commission member may be removed for breach of confidentiality, failure to perform assigned duties, and failure to attend meetings.
Criteria for appointment
In making appointments to the JNE Commission, the board considers the duties and functions of the commission; the applicant's qualifications and ability to make the time commitment; the criteria mandated by Government Code section 12011.5(b); and the board policies on diversity and criteria for membership on State Bar committees.
The board policies on diversity and criteria for committee members consist of a multitude of factors, including but not limited to:
length of time in the practice of law or, if the appointment is of a nonattorney public member, the length of time in a given profession or vocation,
accomplishments of note,
proven commitment to volunteer work or strong indication of capacity and desire for making the expected time commitment,
personal recommendations for the appointment,
educational background,
geographic location of residence and work,
size of law firm or of practice,
types of employment and types of specific interests represented by law practice or employment, (e.g., in-house counsel, public sector, private law firm, etc.),
gender, age, race, ethnicity, and other factors of minority status including religious creed, disability, or sexual orientation contributing to diversity and broad representation,
prior experience in national, state, or local bar association work, or similar experience if a public nonattorney member appointment, and
prior relevant experience, (e.g. writing and interviewing skills, knowledge of judiciary, appellate background, etc).
Review and board appointment
The Board Committee responsible for appointments will review the applications and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
The Board committee, at its discretion, may select applicants to interview.
If the Board committee determines that the pool of applicants is inadequate with regards to mandated and/or Board requirements, additional applications may be solicited.
Application
Application statements should describe any experience interviewing professional applicants.
Attorney applicants should include a brief description of any courtroom or appellate experience in the past five years.
Nonattorney public member applicants should explain how their professional experience qualifies them to be a JNE Commission member. Applicants should also list any professional experience with the judicial system.
Applicants may submit a maximum of three letters of recommendation with their online application.
