Legal Elites Try to Bully People of Missouri
April 16, 2010
Recently in Missouri we’ve seen the disturbing lengths to which powerful lawyers’ groups will go to preserve “merit” selection and maintain their chokehold on judicial appointments. A group called ShowMe Better Courts has launched a petition drive to restore the right of Missourians to select their judges in democratic elections. In response, a lawyer-funded group – run by former Missouri Supreme Court justice Chip Robertson – hired a goon squad to harass and intimidate citizens interested in signing the petition and getting the measure on the ballot.
Yesterday a Missouri court handed down a temporary restraining order against Robertson and his group, ordering them to:
“ … immediately cease all harassment, assault, battery and unlawful conduct toward petitioners’ [ShowMe Better Courts’] workers.”
James Harris, who runs ShowMe Better Courts, called on members of the Missouri Bar to disassociate themselves from these intimidation tactics:
“Trial attorneys should be ashamed of the deplorable tactics being used by this blocking company. To use violence and intimidation to discourage people from participating in direct democracy is unacceptable.”
Why would legal elites deploy such bare-knuckle tactics? Because they’d rather keep on doing the judge-picking themselves, thank you very much. Limiting judicial selection to a closed door group of trial lawyers and legal elites keeps it all in the family and prevents the “wrong kind” of judges (i.e. “conservatives”) from getting on the bench.
Gavel Grab has been following the issue, but so far has remained mum about whether Justice at Stake supports efforts like this to harass and intimidate voters.
Posted by Dan Pero in the categories: Judicial Elections, Justice at Stake, Missouri
2 Responses to “Legal Elites Try to Bully People of Missouri”
[...] American Courthouse: Legal Elites Try to Bully People of Missouri Dan Pero – 4/16/2010 [...]
[...] week I posted on the temporary restraining order issued by a Missouri court. The TRO was against a lawyer-funded [...]