A Cole County judge allowed attorneys for a proponent of direct judicial elections to intervene in a lawsuit over an initiative petition’s ballot language. Last year, James Harris submitted a constitutional amendment for circulation to put judges chosen under the ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri Robin Carnahan

A Cole County judge allowed attorneys for a proponent of direct judicial elections to intervene in a lawsuit over an initiative petition’s ballot language. Last year, James Harris submitted a constitutional amendment for circulation to put judges chosen under the ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Robin Carnahan

The Missouri Senate tackled alterations to the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan for the first time last year. But after the measure failed to come to a vote in the Senate, legislative prospects are dim this year for changing the system ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Jared Craighead Jim Lembke judicial selection Missouri House Missouri Senate Nonpartisan Court Plan Ron Richard Stanley Cox Todd Graves

It turns out those opposed to changing judicial selection aren’t the only ones who can tap well-known legal names in Missouri. James Harris leads an organization that wants to change the way Missouri chooses its judges. But supporters of the ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Jared Craighead Todd Graves

A group seeking to change the way judges are chosen announced Wednesday that it had filed a new ballot item requiring direct elections for judges. Under the current Nonpartisan Court Plan, judicial commissions select three finalists from an applicant pool ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Nonpartisan Court Plan

Better Courts for Missouri says in a press release that it has filed a ballot initiative petition that would require all Missouri judges to be directly elected. The petition is in addition to – and in many ways the opposite ...

Tagged with: ballot initiative Better Courts for Missouri Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has approved a proposed constitutional amendment for circulation that would effectively scrap the Nonpartisan Court Plan. And the leader of the group pushing for repeal of the current iteration of the plan said his group ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri Chip Robertson James Harris Nonpartisan Court Plan Robin Carnahan

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan on Tuesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment for circulation that would effectively scrap the Nonpartisan Court Plan. And the leader of the group pushing for repeal of the current iteration of the plan said his ...

Tagged with: ballot initiative Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Missouri Bar Nonpartisan Court Plan Robin Carnahan

Plan opponents may spend $5M on a campaign to buy it

"The Missouri Bar stands in support of the courts and the Nonpartisan Court Plan and against those who would try to change the constitution of Missouri for their private benefit and who would disregard the welfare of the people of this state," writes Tom Burke, president of the Missouri Bar. Pictured is Missouri Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, left, greeting James Harris, head of Better Courts for Missouri, who wants to change the court plan to one modeled after the federal government system.

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan Tom Burke

A group seeking to do away with Missouri’s Nonpartisan Court Plan has resubmitted its ballot initiative to the Secretary of State’s Office. Better Courts for Missouri announced the filing of its initiative on July 22 but withdrew it shortly after, ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri James Harris Nonpartisan Court Plan

The group that calls itself Better Courts for Missouri has unveiled its latest proposal to upend Missouri’s Nonpartisan Court Plan, and it’s a sign of the group’s intellectual incoherence that it bears no resemblance to its previous attempts to scuttle ...

Tagged with: Better Courts for Missouri