Will Missouri’s Secretary of State Side With the People or With the Lawyers?
June 2, 2010
The Wall Street Journal has an editorial today on the drive in Missouri to restore democratic judicial elections and scrap the state’s “merit” selection system. As the Journal correctly notes, far from being nonpartisan, “merit” selection has:
“handed disproportionate influence over the judiciary to lawyers and bar associations….Judicial elections carry the risk of partisan excess, but at least they hold judges accountable and don’t allow a small legal clique to nominate its friends and ideological allies.”
Election supporters have gathered enough signatures – over 200,000 – to put the question on the November ballot, but Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan must certify the signatures. Carnahan is running for Senate and has received over $500,000 from lawyers, who desperately want to preserve their privileged position when it comes to picking judges. So will she bow to her financiers or put the measure on the ballot?
Posted by Dan Pero in the categories: Judicial Elections, Missouri
One Response to “Will Missouri’s Secretary of State Side With the People or With the Lawyers?”
[...] American Courthouse: Will Missouri’s Secretary of State Side With the People or With the Lawyers? … [...]