By Maria Hickey, KWMU
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-597257.mp3
St. Louis, MO – You might not know it, but the system Missouri uses to put judges on the bench was the first of its kind in the U.S.
Voters in 1940 were fed up with the influence of political bosses in judicial elections, and they approved what's called the "Missouri Plan."
It applies to urban counties like St. Louis, as well as the appellate courts, and the state supreme court. Since then, 30 other states have adopted some form of the system.
But now, the Missouri Plan is under fire in its home state.
KWMU's Maria Hickey prepared this report.