New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman (center) moderated a discussion Monday at Albany Law School featuring the chief judges of four other states. The jurists discussed how the members of their states' top courts are selected, how they decide which cases to hear and some of the peculiarities of their judiciaries.

In Vermont, for example, there is no intermediate appeals court so all appeals are heard by its Supreme Court. Iowa Chief Justice Mark Cady (second from left) described how three members of Iowa's Supreme Court were ousted as they sought new terms in 2010 after ruling to legalize same-sex marriages.

Others on the panel were Vermont Chief Justice Paul Reiber (left), Maryland Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera (second from right) and Oregon Chief Justice Thomas Balmer (right).