Manshardt

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

The Federal Judicial Qualifications Committee (“the Com- mittee”) was formed in March 2001 by Senators Diane Fein- stein and Barbara Boxer, both members of the Democratic Party, in conjunction with Gerald Parsky, a private business- man and member of the Republican Party. The Committee, which is responsible for recommending to the President nomi- nations for federal district court judgeships and for United States Attorney positions in California,1 was established pur- suant to a voluntary agreement between Parsky and Senators Feinstein and Boxer to develop a list of candidates for appointment likely to meet with the approval of both the Pres- ident and, when applicable, the Senate.

The Committee is comprised of four six-member commit- tees, one for each judicial district in California. Each subcom- mittee includes one member selected by Senator Feinstein, one member selected by Senator Boxer, one member jointly selected by both Senators, and three members selected by Par- sky. Parsky chairs the full Committee and serves as the appointed chair of each subcommittee. Each subcommittee is charged with naming three to five possible nominees for dis- trict court…