The Missouri Senate tackled alterations to the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan for the first time last year. But after the measure failed to come to a vote in the Senate, legislative prospects are dim this year for changing the system ...

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After a legislative push to alter the Nonpartisan Court Plan faltered on Wednesday, opponents of how some judges are selected in Missouri see the initiative petition process as the vehicle to achieve their aims. A proposed constitutional amendment altering the ...

Tagged with: Appellate Judicial Commission Jim Lembke Missouri Bar Missouri Plan Nonpartisan Court Plan Skip Walther Stanley Cox

As debate looms in the Missouri Senate on a constitutional amendment altering the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, The Missouri Bar is reiterating its opposition to changing the way the state chooses some of its judges. Bar President Tom Burke and President-elect Skip Walther held a press conference on Tuesday morning to skewer proposed changes offered in House Joint Resolution 10. The two attorneys portrayed the alterations as a way of injecting politics into the plan and giving more power over judicial selection to the governor.

Tagged with: Appellate Judicial Commission Charlie Shields Matt Bartle Missouri Bar Missouri Plan Nonpartisan Court Plan Skip Walther Stanley Cox Tom Burke

In some sense, Gov. Jay Nixon inspired the new direction for a proposal to require voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polls. Since the Missouri Supreme Court struck down a voter ID law in 2006, Republicans have been ...

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Less than a day after it won initial approval in the Missouri House, a resolution altering Missouri's Nonpartisan Court Plan was sent to the Senate on Thursday. (pictured at left) Rep. Stanley Cox's resolution passed 85-72, three votes more than the constitutionally needed amount to send legislation to the Senate. Among other things, Cox's resolution would increase the number of judicial nominees from three to four. Watch video of Cox talking about the court plan. Click here to see how lawyers in the House voted.

Tagged with: Appellate Judicial Commission Bryan Pratt Missouri Missouri House Nonpartisan Court Plan Rachel Bringer Stanley Cox

The Missouri House narrowly passed a proposed amendment Tuesday to change how the state selects its appellate judges. The measure won initial approval by an 82-72 vote – the minimum positive votes needed to proceed. The resolution needs another vote ...

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A group advocating changes to Missouri’s plan for selecting judges wants to know how actively involved the Supreme Court has been in fighting that effort. James Harris, director of Better Courts for Missouri, filed a Sunshine Law request Wednesday with ...

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For the past few years, opponents have ramped up efforts to change the composition of the state’s Nonpartisan Court Plan. Some have argued that the process is too secretive and provides too much power to trial attorneys. On Tuesday, a ...

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Missouri Republicans are engaging in another fight to establish a requirement to present photo identification before voting. But the proposal in its current form might not actually impact any Missouri voters for years. State Rep. Stanley Cox, R-Sedalia, presented an ...

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