By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
With their eyes on the prize of the next redistricting process, Senate Democrats took aim at Gov. Doug Ducey’s appointments to the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, arguing that he’s violating a constitutional diversity requirement.
The Senate on Tuesday approved five of the governor’s appointees to the commission. Under Arizona’s merit selection system for judges, the commission vets nominees for the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court. The 15-person commission has 10 non-attorney members who are appointed by the governor and 5 attorney members who are chosen by the State Bar of Arizona.
Prior to the vote, the chamber’s Democratic caucus put out a press release arguing that Ducey was violating a provision of the Arizona Constitution stating that he “shall endeavor to see that the commission reflects the diversity of Arizona’s population.”
They pointed out that only one woman currently sits on the commission, even though more than half of Arizonans are women. Three of the governor’s five nominees whom the Senate approved on Tuesday are women. And despite the fact that about 45 percent of Arizonans identify as non-white, only one of the governor’s nominees is a person of color.
