Web-based tool streamlines
judge vetting
By Jody A. Nuñez
Chair, Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation
In an effort to save
resources – time, money, paper and printing – the Commission on Judicial
Nominees Evaluation (JNE) began moving toward a “paperless” rating system in
2010. We’ve made much progress since then and are now about to launch a new
tool that we hope will make the process of evaluating judges easier and faster.
Initially, the commission
chose Survey Monkey to electronically distribute Confidential Comment Forms, (CCFs).
The popular online tool met requirements for security, tracking and reporting. Paper-based
surveys were still used in situations where raters did not provide email
addresses or did not opt-in to electronic mailing lists, but the “paperless”
initiative had begun in earnest.
This system has greatly
reduced costs and saved commissioners time distributing and compiling CCFs.
Unfortunately, at the same time, JNE staff needed more time to troubleshoot
technical issues, respond to real-time reporting requests from commissioners
and conduct other activities that were not a part of the traditional,
paper-based process. While the third-party online platform and tool showed the
many advantages of electronic distribution, the commission maintained a vision
of building and using a proprietary web-based application.
In 2015, Survey Monkey changed
its tool and removed the ability to selectively search, sort and filter data,
compile and display ratings as expected, and run various reports integral to
the process which had been in place for nearly five years. Building a
proprietary tool became more than a vision. It was a necessity now that
critical components were no longer available from the third-party application
vendor.
A committee of JNE commissioners and staff formed, met and identified system requirements. The State
Bar IT staff took those requirements and designed, developed and deployed a proprietary
web-based tool aimed at greatly improving users’ ability to launch and complete
bi-monthly campaigns. A pilot group of commissioners tested the tool in February
and the team made adjustments. The plan is to “go live,” conducting the entire June
campaign using the new system.
Employing this new tool, the
lead commissioner, co-commissioner and each candidate will be able to upload
what is called the “Personal and PDQ (Personal Data Questionnaire) list” without
JNE staff involvement. Investigating commissioners will be able to set up
random mailing lists using new filtering options and launch individual campaigns,
also without the need to engage staff. Commissioners will be able to see the
progress of their active campaigns, resubmit CCFs as needed and follow up with
additional forms in a timely manner independently.
Raters using the new tool
will find it easier to work with the forms. To start, when a rater begins the questionnaire
they will be able to complete it in one step or save and return later to complete
the forms. Raters will be able to edit responses more easily and add unlimited
comments. In addition, a dynamic progress bar allows raters to check where they
are in the process. Raters receive a notice of completion when they have successfully
submitted the CCF. Future updates will include the option to upload letters and
documents to a candidate’s CCF.
The commission is excited
about these new capabilities and looks forward to more targeted campaigns and
better preparation and reporting to use in full commission meetings and
ultimately submission to the governor’s office. The team also hopes to see an
uptick in opt-ins for electronic and email contacts, further optimizing the
web-based tool and process plus saving more resources over time.