C. Judicial Nomination Board (JNB)

There shall be a Judicial Nomination Board to identify and approve qualified candidates for appointment to the federal courts of the United States. The Board serves as an independent body to ensure that judicial nominations are based on merit, integrity, and constitutional eligibility, free from political influence.

The Board shall consist of nine (9) members, as follows:

• Three retired federal judges, appointed by the three most senior Associate Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of selection. A majority vote of the sitting judges of the Circuit Courts of Appeal must approve these appointments. If a seat is vacated mid-term, the Chief Justice shall appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

• Three licensed federal attorneys, selected by the American Bar Association or another similar national institution as designated by statute. If no institution is designated, the Chief Justice shall choose, subject to the same ratification scheme as for the former judges.

• Three public representative Citizens, with no legal or judicial affiliation, shall be selected either through a process defined by law, or if no such law exists, by a panel of three retired federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice.

Membership is compulsory for all selected individuals. Members shall serve equal terms, and any mid-term replacement shall serve only the remainder of the original term. A new Board shall be selected in each even-numbered year that does not coincide with a Presidential election year.

The Judicial Nomination Board shall maintain and regularly update lists of eligible candidates for appointment to each level of the federal judiciary. Each list shall have at least three (3) potential candidates and as many as twenty (20). These lists shall be transmitted to the President as required under this Charter. The Board may develop rules and criteria, consistent with this Charter, to guide its evaluation of candidates.

Board members shall be compensated at the salary of a judge serving on a Provincial Appellate Court, prorated according to the number of days the Board is active in a given year.