Rigged Judicial Selection in Missouri
September 7, 2011
Need proof that “merit” selection has turned judicial selection into a rigged game controlled by those modern “malefactors of great wealth” in the trial bar? Just take a look at Missouri, the birthplace of “merit” selection.
Last week, Judge Michael Manners, former President of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, was nominated to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court. His nomination was made by the Appellate Judicial Commission, which includes Nancy Mogab, a former member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys Board of Governors and John Wooddell, a current member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys Board of Governors. Jill Shurin – a non-lawyer member of the Appellate Judicial Commission, presumably placed on the commission to balance the power of the trial bar – is married to a prominent trial lawyer who happens to be a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which describes itself as “one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States,” all of whose members have won “million or multi-million dollar verdicts.” Anyone see a pattern here?
As James Harris, Executive Director of Better Courts for Missouri, rightly pointed out, elevating Judge Manners to the state’s highest court would further the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys’ goal of “striking down laws like tort reform and workers’ compensation reform that protect our state from the ravages of excess litigation.” But even his very nomination provides all the supporting evidence any fair-minded observer needs of the power the trial bar already wields when it comes to shaping Missouri’s courts.
Posted by Dan Pero in the categories: Missouri
2 Responses to “Rigged Judicial Selection in Missouri”
How do the people of a state push back against these “merit” selections. Many of us are concerned that, instead of the people being represented, ideology will be legislated from the bench.
How do we change this within our states?
Sincerely,
Michele Austin
[...] Wall Street Journal editorial today picks up on my 9/7 post about the insidious relationship between the Missouri trial bar and the commission that controls [...]