Litigation

More Disclosure on Judge Applicants in Missouri

By Peter Hardin

The names of more people seeking to become judges in Missouri will be made public, as a result of a new rule approved by the state Supreme Court.

Under previous rules, the only names disclosed were of those candidates recommended by nominating panels to the governor for certain judicial appointments, including the state Supreme Court. The new rule requires disclosure of names of those individuals interviewed by the nominating panels.

“This was a time for us to see if this would work, to increase transparency without having too much adverse effect,”  Chief Justice William Ray Price told the Associated Press in an interview. Missouri’s widely respected merit selection system for picking judges has drawn some criticism from critics who contend it has not eliminated politics, and that the selection process is secretive.

In next year’s election, Better Courts for Missouri supports ballot measures “that would seek to have voters replace the entire system,” according to the AP. James Harris, the group’s director, called the new rule “a small step in the right direction, but clearly more reform is needed.” You can track the controversy over Missouri’s merit selection system in Gavel Grab, and learn more about merit selection from Justice at Stake’s resource page.

Full post as published by The Gavel on December 15, 2009 (boomark / email).