Article 6, § 20 — Filling of vacancies occurring before expiration of term of office in Supreme Court or court of appeals or among district judges; Commission on Judicial Selection

1. When a vacancy occurs before the expiration of any term of office in the Supreme Court or the court of appeals or among the district judges, the Governor shall appoint a justice or judge from among three nominees selected for such individual vacancy by the Commission on Judicial Selection. 2. The term of office of any justice or judge so appointed expires on the first Monday of January following the next general election. 3. Each nomination for the Supreme Court or the court of appeals must be made by the permanent Commission, composed of: (a) The Chief Justice or an associate justice designated by him; (b) Three members of the State Bar of Nevada, a public corporation created by statute, appointed by its Board of Governors; and (c) Three persons, not members of the legal profession, appointed by the Governor. 4. Each nomination for the district court must be made by a temporary commission composed of: (a) The permanent Commission; (b) A member of the State Bar of Nevada resident in the judicial district in which the vacancy occurs, appointed by the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Nevada; and (c) A resident of such judicial district, not a member of the legal profession, appointed by the Governor. 5. If at any time the State Bar of Nevada ceases to exist as a public corporation or ceases to include all attorneys admitted to practice before the courts of this State, the Legislature shall provide by law, or if it fails to do so the Supreme Court shall provide by rule, for the appointment of attorneys at law to the positions designated in this Section to be occupied by members of the State Bar of Nevada. 6. The term of office of each appointive member of the permanent Commission, except the first members, is 4 years. Each appointing authority shall appoint one of the members first appointed for a term of 2 years. If a vacancy occurs, the appointing authority shall fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. The additional members of a temporary commission must be appointed when a vacancy occurs, and their terms expire when the nominations for such vacancy have been transmitted to the Governor. 7. An appointing authority shall not appoint to the permanent Commission more than: (a) One resident of any county. (b) Two members of the same political party. Ê No member of the permanent Commission may be a member of the Commission on Judicial Discipline. 8. After the expiration of 30 days from the date on which the Commission on Judicial Selection has delivered to him its list of nominees for any vacancy, if the Governor has not made the appointment required by this Section, he shall make no other appointment to any public office until he has appointed a justice or judge from the list submitted.