The Senate, however, delayed a vote on the legislation, which would give Bush a greater role in picking judges than his recent predecessors had. The bill, pushed by the Christian Coalition of Florida, changes appointments not to the bench but to the Judicial Nominating Commissions. The commissioners interview applicants for the bench, from the state's trial courts to the Florida Supreme Court. The panels then send a list of nominees to the governor, who gets to make the final pick.
Governors also get to pick three of the nine people on each commission.
But the four-year terms are staggered and not tied to gubernatorial elections. That means Bush, a Republican, has to live with the commission appointments made by his Democratic successor, the late Gov. Lawton Chiles, until their terms end. Chiles had to live with the commission appointments of his Republican predecessor, former Gov. Bob Martinez, and Martinez had to live the commission appointments of his Democratic predecessor, former Gov. Bob Graham. Rep. Fred Brummer, the Apopka Republican who sponsored the bill, argued that a newly elected governor should have the power to make new appointments to the nominating commissions. The Senate debated the legislation but delayed a vote.