A bill that is working its way through the Iowa Senate is aimed at changing the makeup of the judicial nominating commission.

State Senator Jerry Behn says as the bill works its way out of committee, opponents of the bill believe the Legislature is wanting to make this change for political gain. Behn disspells that saying their proposed change would actually give more voice to Iowans by eliminating the slant it currently has toward lawyers through the Iowa Bar Association being on the commission, and allowing the majority and minority leaders in both the House and Senate to select the individuals, along with the governor’s choices.

“It’s not based on Republican or Democrat. The governor picks those eight. It is up to the Senate to confirm (those eight). So it would be balanced. It’s not subject to one or the other.”

Behn wants judges that uphold the constitution and stick within the constitutional boundaries, not judges that legislate.

“If judges want to legislate, then all they need to do is resign from being a judge, get their nominating papers to run for the House, run for the Senate. If they win, then they can write all the laws they want. Then if they can get 26 votes in the Senate, get 51 votes in the House, and get the governor to sign it, boom they’ve created a new law. That’s the way laws are supposed to be made. They are not supposed to be done from a judicial bench.”

Senate File 237 is still being worked on in the committee. To hear more from Behn on this topic and as well other topics from last week, listen to today’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.