Address of Edwin Meese III Before the Palm Beach County Bar Association, February 10, 1986

• NCJ Number: 100627
• Author(s): E Meese
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese describes the Reagan administration's procedure for selecting Federal judges.

Abstract

When a judicial vacancy occurs or a judgeship is created, the Justice Department encourages members of Congress and other distinguished persons from the involved State or Federal court circuit to submit the names of persons they believe to be qualified. Justice Department attorneys evaluate the recommended persons by reviewing their experience, ability, and intellectual qualifications. Several candidates for each judgeship are usually invited to the Justice Department to discuss their judicial philosophies and views of the role of a Federal judge. The interviews do not solicit candidates' personal views on specific controversial issues such as legalized abortion and the constitutionality of the death penalty. The principal focus is the candidate's approach to the interpretation of a Federal statute or the U.S. Constitution. The relative merits of candidates are then considered by the White House Judicial Selection Committee. The committee recommends candidates to the President, who makes the final appointment decision.