3. What prevents the judges from being biased in favor of one political party?

Rose Institute:
Proposition 77 includes the following provisions that appear to safeguard against partisan bias among the Special Masters:
  • The random selection of the initial pool of 24 retired judges
  • The requirement legislative leaders choose retired judges of a different political affiliation than the leader
  • The right of each leader preemptively to remove one judge from consideration
  • The random selection of three Special Masters from the final pool of nominees
  • The requirement for a series of public hearings and the opportunity for the public to submit plans for consideration by the Special Masters
  • Strict criteria for district drawing that minimize the discretion of the Special Masters
  • The prohibition on Special Masters against considering the location of any incumbent or challenger
  • The prohibition on Special Masters against using any political data except that required for compliance with federal law (in this case, the Voting Rights Act)
  • The requirement that the Special Masters unanimously agree on a plan
  • The right of any voter to challenge the plan before the State Supreme Court
  • The vote of the people to approve or reject the plan


Pro / Con:
[ Answers from the (Yes/No) on 77 campaign have been requested but not yet received. They will be posted as soon as they arrive. Until then, please refer to the campaign website at (www.YesOn77.com / www.noonproposition77.com/). ]