‘We do not want more politics in the selection of judges’

To the editor:

I was appointed by Governor (Terry) Branstad to serve on the committee to select candidates for judges for District 2B years ago. At that time the governor selected the short half of the committee of lay citizens and the other half were lawyers selected by the law association. Most lay people do not know the candidates. They get their information from resumes and other committee members. Most lay people know very little about selecting a judge.

The committee selects two candidates and the governor selects on the two to become a judge. I think we did a very good job.

I believe the change plan by the Republicans will make it more political.

The religious far right has been after judges for years. The judges followed the Constitution and not always what the religious far right wanted.

I think the Republican Party is being pushed by the religious far right to promote this bad bill.

We do not need any more politics in the selection of judges.

Judges should not be tied to a political party.

Richard A. Naeve