By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – State Supreme Court Chief Justice Laura Denvir Stith is proposing opening up the process a bit for selecting judicial candidates in Missouri.
In her first State of the Judiciary Address before the General Assembly, Stith defended the decades-old Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, which is used to select potential judges for the Supreme Court, appeals courts and various circuit courts.
Stith now wants to allow more details to be made public.
"Beginning later this month, the Court will require commissions to announce the time, date, and location of their meetings and to provide demographic information about the applicant pool prior to those meetings," Stith said.
Critics have complained about judicial nominating commissions closing their meetings to the public.
"Once the three finalists are determined, the commissions will be required to make public the three nominees' applications, with private information redacted, of course," Stith said.
Despite being a strong supporter of the Missouri Plan, Stith told the Senate Rules Committee last fall that she didn't think the plan had been perfectly implemented.