Procedure for Judicial and Public Appointment Candidates Seeking MNAPABA Endorsement

A. Requesting the Endorsement

Please send an email correspondence requesting the endorsement (“Request”). In the email, enclose a copy of the completed judicial application form and any pertinent writing samples to mnapaba@gmail.com and copying the President and President-Elect of MNAPABA. (The email addresses of the President and President-Elect may be requested by emailing mnapaba@gmail.com.)

The MNAPABA Board (“Board”) meets monthly on the second Tuesday of every month. A candidate should submit the Request at least two weeks prior to the date the endorsement is required. (Please note: MNAPABA may consider a Request that is submitted less than two weeks prior to the date the endorsement is required if an explanation is provided.)

Confidentiality: The names and application materials of all candidates shall be kept confidential by the Board. Please note that the Board may contact any person named in the candidate’s application materials as part of the endorsement consideration process. If the candidate does not want the Board to contact a particular person, the candidate must indicate this preference in the Request.

B. The Evaluation Process

The co-chairs of the MNAPABA Judicial Selection Committee shall serve as the contact person for each request for endorsement. The candidate has no input or involvement in selecting a contact person, or the Committee or Board members involved in the evaluation of the candidate’s request for endorsement.

The Judicial Selection Committee will consider the Criteria listed below in its evaluation.

The Judicial Selection Committee will coordinate with the candidate to arrange for an interview by phone or in person, by at least two Committee members. The Judicial Selection Committee will also gather any additional information as reasonably necessary to complete its evaluation. The candidate shall cooperate with requests from the Committee for additional information.

The Committee will vote by majority rule as to a recommendation of whether endorse or decline to endorse. The Committee will communicate its recommendation to the Board, who will vote by majority rule as to whether to adopt the Committee's recommendation, decline to adopt the Committee's recommendation, or request additional information.

Upon approval by the Board, the President's designee will draft a letter of support for the candidate. The letter of endorsement will be mailed directly to the designated address listed in the application material. A copy of the letter of endorsement will also be provided to the candidate via email or mail to the candidate’s home address.

If the Board declines endorsement of a candidate, a MNAPABA designee will inform the candidate of that fact.

The Board and Committee will make every effort to complete this process within two weeks. In some circumstances, the Board/Committee will inform the candidate if the endorsement process is expected to take longer than two weeks.

The candidate must contact the Judicial Selection Committee co-chairs of any important changes in the application or to discuss any questions the candidate may have regarding his/her request for endorsement.

C. Criteria

When reviewing a candidate’s request for endorsement, the Judicial Selection Committee and the Board will consider the following:

1. Whether the candidate is a member of a minority attorneys’ organization
   
2. Whether the candidate has demonstrated commitment to the Asian Pacific American (“APA”) community, and/or to any other minority group
   
3. Whether the candidate has ideas on how to improve the judicial process or access to the legal system
   
4. Integrity/character
   
5. Knowledge of the law
   
6. Legal experience (criminal or civil litigation or trials, hearings before administrative or regulatory tribunals, in-house counsel experience, transactional work, academia, legal writing and analysis, mediation, arbitration, negotiation) and professional ability
   
7. Work ethic
   
8. General reputation in the legal community, especially with APA attorneys
   
9. Civic/community affairs
   
10. Commitment to diversity and equal justice
    
11. Temperament/ability to judge
    
12. Intellectual curiosity