Senate sets term limits for Judicial Nominating Committee

Senate sets term limits for Judicial Nominating Committee

PROVIDENCE, R.I.-A bill to prohibit anyone from serving more than one four-year term on the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission has cleared the Senate.

more stories like thisThe legislation was prompted by Gov. Donald Carcieri’s reappointment last year of C. June Tow to the commission that recommends candidates for state judgeships to the governor.

State law bans reappointments to the commission.

But the Republican governor claimed the ban did not apply to Tow, because she was not serving consecutive terms. She first served on the commission from 1997 to 2001.

State Sen. James Sheehan, D-North Kingstown, and the advocacy group Common Cause disagreed with the governor’s interpretation.

Date: 6/6/2008 12:00:00 AM