Both Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds apparently would restore the moribund program that gave lawyers, jurors, and citizens a voice in Virginia’s judicial selection process.
At the initial debate between the two candidates for governor, both endorsed a merit-based system of judge selection.
“We should reform the whole process,” Deeds told the audience at the Virginia Bar Association in Hot Springs. “We’ve got good judges. We lucked out, but we need reform.”
McDonnell boasted of his role in launching the judicial performance evaluation program that ground to a halt this year. “I’ll make sure we get that back on track,” he said.
By Peter Vieth