Application questions
Whether applying for a judge’s seat in Duval County or on the Supreme Court, applicants open themselves up to an exhaustive review process. While the 19 applicants for the county’s current judicial vacancy might not receive the same level of scrutiny that Congress promises to give Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, they still must open up their employment and financial histories to public scrutiny.
Even before they receive an interview, applicants must fill out a 14-page application that probes into just about every nook and cranny of one’s life.
Those who contemplate applying for a judicial vacancy should think about whether they’d feel comfortable answering questions like the following and making their answers available to the press. The applications are public record.
These questions were taken verbatim from the applications:
10. Are you currently addicted to or dependent upon the use of narcotics, drugs, or intoxicating beverages? If yes, state the details, including the date.
11. During the last ten years have you been hospitalized or have you consulted a professional or have you received treatment or a diagnosis froma professional for any of the following: Kleptomania, Pathological or Compulsive Gambling, Pedophilia, Exhibitionism or Voyeurism?
16. Within the last five years, have you ever been formally reprimanded, demoted, disciplined, cautioned, placed on probation, suspended or terminated by an employer?
20. In the past ten years, have you suffered memory loss or impaired judgment for any reason?
Additionally, the application asks for complete work histories dating all the way back to those summer jobs cooking burgers and asks applicants if they have experienced the following in the last 10 years: Periods of hyperactivity or sleeplessness; bouncing checks, mood swings, loan defaults and “spending money profusely with extremely poor judgment.”