The Florida Judicial Nominating Commissions are 26 separately constituted bodies responsible for providing the

governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

with a list of possible appointments to the various state courts (the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

, the five

Florida District Courts of Appeal The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently five DCAs: *The First District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Tallahassee *The Second District Court of Ap ...

, and the twenty

Florida Circuit Courts The Florida circuit courts are State court (United States), state courts, and are trial courts of original jurisdiction for most controversies. In Florida, the circuit courts are one of four types of courts created by the Florida Constitution (the ...

). These commissions are required under Article V of the

Florida Constitution The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the powers, duties, structure, and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state. The current Constitu ...

Composition and operations

The Constitution specifies that " enever a vacancy occurs in a judicial office to which election for retention applies, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointing... one of not fewer than three persons nor more than six persons nominated by the appropriate judicial nominating Commission". This provision applies to Florida Supreme Court justices and Florida District Court judges. The Constitution makes a similar provision for Florida Circuit Court judges, except that such positions are normally filled in elections, and the governor may only step in where there is a vacancy well before the next election. further provides that " ere shall be a separate judicial nominating Commission as provided by general law for the supreme court, each district court of appeal, and each judicial circuit for all trial courts within the circuit",Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 11 (d)
This section requires that the Commissions have uniform rules of procedure, and that their proceedings and records must be open to the public. The composition of the Commissions is laid out elsewhere in the Constitution, which requires that each Commission be composed of: :a. Three members appointed by the Board of Governors of the

Florida Bar The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys. The Florida Bar is also responsible for the governi ...

from among Florida Bar members who are actively engaged in the practice of law with offices within the territorial jurisdiction of the affected court, district or circuit; :b. Three electors who reside in the territorial jurisdiction of the court or circuit appointed by the governor; and :c. Three electors who reside in the territorial jurisdiction of the court or circuit and who are not members of the bar of Florida, selected and appointed by a majority vote of the other six members of the Commission. The Constitution prohibits judges and justices from serving on any Commission, and disqualifies Commission members from being appointed to judicial office until two years after they leave the Commission. It also sets the term of office of Commission members at four years.Florida Constitution, Article V, Section 20 (c)(7)

References

{{reflist *Kelley Armitage, ''Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt: A Thorough Review of Judicial Elections, Merit Selection and the Role of State Judges in Society'', 29 CAP. U. L. REV. 625 (2002). *Russell Troutman, ''Florida Judicial Nominating Commissions'', 54 Fla. B. J. 534, 534 (1980). Florida state courts Selection of judges in the United States