Litigation

Attack on Missouri Plan Stalling?

By Charlie Hall

Missouri’s Senate failed to take a vote on an overhaul of the state’s system for appointing judges. According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, that probably means the proposed constitutional amendment is dead for this year.

The proposal had been passed by the House, but needs Senate approval to go before voters in 2010. Despite the pleadings of Sen. Jim Lembke, the article said that “the proposal failed to come to a vote because of opposition from a number of senators, particularly the eight attorneys in the chamber. The issue is now likely dead for the legislative session, which ends May 15.”

 Bar leaders said the current system has successfully minimized partisanship in the selecting of judges. A similar effort was defeated in both legislative chambers last year.

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 01, 2009 (boomark / email).