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Judge upholds ballot summary for Mo. court measure

s_falkow | Flickr

A Cole County judge has upheld a ballot summary prepared by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) for a proposed constitutional amendmentthat would expand the governor’s role in appointing State Supreme Court judges.

The ballot language for Amendment 3 asks:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to change the current nonpartisan selection of supreme court and court of appeals judges to a process that gives the governor increased authority to: appoint a majority of the commission that selects these court nominees; and  appoint all lawyers to the commission by removing the requirement that the governor's appointees be nonlawyers?

A lawsuit was filed against Carnahan in July that claimed the language she chose was unfair and sought to obscure the measure’s true meaning.  In his ruling, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem (R) said that Carnahan’s summary was sufficient and fair, although it did not include all details or possible outcomes should it pass.  Carnahan lost a similar suit last month over the language used in a health insurance ballot question.

Opponents to Carnahan’s ballot summary are planning an appeal.

Follow St. Louis Public Radio and Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @stlpublicradio  @MarshallGReport

  • For more on this year’s campaigns and elections, go to Beyond November, a coordinated election project of St. Louis Public Radio, Nine Network of Public Media and The St. Louis Beacon.

 

Marshal was a political reporter for St. Louis Public Radio until 2018.