MO Statehouse

After three finalists were announced in September, Missouri now has a new Supreme Court judge. George W. Draper III, currently a judge in the Eastern District Court of Appeals, has been selected by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) for the job, in an announcement released today.

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (R) will push for legislation next year he says will enable his office to oversee the state’s Division of Finance without interference from state agencies or private entities.

The proposed bill is, in part, the result of an ongoing legal battle with the Missouri Banker’s Association.  Schweich says the MBA is seeking to block his office from examining how the Finance Division examined the records of a number of failed banks in Missouri.

Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon has announced that the former police chief of St. Louis County, Jerry Lee, has been named as the new state public safety director.

Lee will replace former director John Britt, who left the position last Thursday.

The appointment of Lee now leaves a vacancy on the St. Louis City Board of Police Commissioners to be filled by gubernatorial appointment "in due time," Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said.