The federal government has been criticized for allegedly picking judges based on political considerations and in a non-transparent manner. In the first part of a two-part episode on the federal judicial appointment process, we look into the scope of the government’s discretion in naming judges and the role that ideology or partisanship might play in the process. We speak with Sean Fine, justice reporter at the Globe and Mail; Professor Robert Leckey of McGill’s Faculty of Law; and David Gourdeau, a former commissioner for federal judicial affairs.