Missouri Opens Its Supreme Court Nomination Process
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Jason Hancock
Source: St. Louis Today
Date: August 31, 2011
Missouri’s merit selection appointment system—the oldest in the country—has come under repeated attacks in recent years, as opponents sought to overhaul the system or replace it with competitive elections. In response to calls for greater transparency in the way the system operates, this year, for the first time, interviews of the 13 candidates to replace retiring Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff were open to the public. As John Johnston, president of the Missouri Bar, notes, “[t]he more people see of the merit-selection process that we have in Missouri, the more confident they will become that it is the best way to select our judges .” While the judicial nominating panel’s final deliberations will remain private, the number of votes for each of three finalists will be made public. The panel will send three names to Governor Jay Nixon, who will have 60 days to make a selection.
See also: Garten: Missouri’s Nonpartisan Plan For Judgeships Can’t Be Beat, Blue Springs Examiner, September 6, 2011.