Cox: Time to limit lawyers' ability to pick judges

Posted: Sunday, December 11, 2011 12:00 am | Updated: 11:05 am, Wed Sep 5, 2012.

Since beginning my service as your state representative, I have worked very hard on a measure that would reform the method we use in Missouri to choose appellate judges and the judges in the urban areas. If my proposed changes to the Missouri Constitution passes both houses of the Missouri General Assembly, it would still have to be approved by a majority of voters in a statewide election before it would becomes law.

Judges in court houses in the vast majority of Missouri counties have always been chosen just like most other county officials — by elections. I have never heard of any dissatisfaction with this method of selecting our judges. There is nothing like facing the voters periodically to cause a public official to do a good job. My proposal would not change how these judges are chosen. Many of my constituents might be surprised to find out that appeals court judges including Missouri Supreme Court judges and many trial judges in the more urban communities are not chosen like other public officials.

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