Bills Advance to Reform Missouri Plan of Judicial Selection

A Missouri senate committee has advanced bills to reform the Missouri Plan of judicial selection.

If approved by voters, SJR 11 would allow the governor to appoint the new judge from a list of names of all qualified applicants, submitted by a nonpartisan judicial commission, rather than from a list of only three names. This would reduce the power of the commission. This would advance democratic legitimacy because the commission has some members selected by the bar.