BAR PRESIDENT HERMAN RUSSOMANNO.

BAR PRESIDENT HERMAN RUSSOMANNO, from the left, Kathy Maus, president of Tallahassee Women Lawyers, and Sandy D'Alemberte, president of Florida State University, were among the panelists who debated the pros and cons of adopting merit selection and retention for Florida trial court judges at a public forum on judicial selection September 26 at the FSU law school. The forum, sponsored by the American Judicature Society and the ABA, is one of several being held across the state to help educate the public about the merit selection question that will be put before voters November 7. Russomanno, D'Alemberte and a fourth panelist, Julie Scales of Clearwater, representing the Florida League of Women Voters, spoke in favor of merit selection, saying it would end judges seeking contributions from lawyers who appear before them and would increase judicial diversity. Maus argued the right of the people to directly elect their judges should not be taken away and likened the merit system to a lifetime appointment because no Florida judge has ever been removed via a merit retention vote. Two more forums, one in English and one in Spanish, are scheduled for October 18 and 19 at Miami Dade Community College.