Governor rejects two JNC slates.

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For the first time since the process for selecting members of judicial nominating commissions was changed 10 years ago, a governor has rejected slates of JNC nominees submitted by the Bar.

Bar President Scott Hawkins announced to the Board of Governors at the July 29 meeting that Gov. Rick Scott has asked the Bar to submit a new slate of commission nominees for the 17th Circuit JNC and the Fourth District Court of Appeal JNC.

Hawkins said he got a call from Scott's general counsel, Charles Trippe, advising him the letter would be coming from Scott rejecting the two slates. Hawkins noted that one of the Bar's nominees for the 17th Circuit JNC, D. David Keller, was actually appointed by Scott, but for the Bar's unfilled vacancy from 2010.

"He said the statute permits this [rejecting a slate], and this is how the governor's office wants to proceed," Hawkins told the board.

The Bar president added he has "high regard" for Trippe and agreed with him that the current statute allows the governor to reject Bar nominees.

Trippe's July 20 letter to Hawkins thanked him for the Bar's submission in May of this year's slates of candidates. It then said, "After careful consideration, the governor has decided to reject the list of nominees for the 17th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission pursuant to section 43.291(1)(a) Florida Statutes."

Consistent with that law, Trippe then asked for three new nominees "that have not been previously recommended by the Board of Governors."

An identical letter rejected the nominees for the Fourth DCA JNC.

When judicial nominating commissions were set...