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Missouri Judicial Selection Amendment (2011)
| Not on Ballot |
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| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
The Missouri Judicial Selection Initiative did not appear on the November 2011 general election ballot in the state of Missouri as an initiated constitutional amendment.[1]
Background
At the time of the proposal, the state of Missouri used what was known as the Missouri Plan. This method for the selection of state-level judges was used in 11 U.S. states in 2011. The Missouri Plan combined appointment and election of judges. Under the plan, when there was a judicial vacancy, a list of candidates to fill the vacancy were selected by a commission; in Missouri, the commission was the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission. Three names were forwarded to the governor who had sixty days to select one. If the governor did not select one of the three to fill the position within those sixty days, the committee would then make the selection. At the general election soonest after the completion of one year service, the judge would stand in a retention election. If a majority voted against retention, the judge was removed from office, and the process started anew[2].
2010 effort
In 2010, a citizen initiative effort failed to qualify for the ballot after proponents failed to collect sufficient signatures. The proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed the governor to select his or her own judge to rule on the Missouri Supreme Court. The state senate would then have had to confirm the appointment of the judge, similar to the federal courts process. The group began the petition drive in order to eliminate the current "Missouri Plan" which they said was prone to being influenced by special interest groups.[3][4]
See also
Articles
Footnotes
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