This year’s battle over the Nonpartisan Court Plan is under way.

Tagged with: constitutional amendment House Judiciary Committee Missouri House Missouri Legislature Missouri Plan Nonpartisan Court Plan

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bryan Stevenson says the only way to combat the country’s drug problem is to make the substances legal. “The answer ultimately is we have to legalize, regulate and tax the sale of marijuana, meth and crack ...

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The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee told a roomful of lawyers that he expects the House next year won’t give floor time to an amendment to change the Nonpartisan Court Plan. Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Joplin, and other lawyer legislators ...

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Solo and small-firm attorneys hoping for a stronger statute to pursue those who practice law without a license will have to wait at least another year. Rep. John Burnett, D-Kansas City, succeeded in getting an unauthorized practice of law provision tucked into a broad judiciary bill in the House. The language would place the unauthorized practice of law under the state's Merchandising Practices Act and allow a private cause of action against violators. The provision generated little discussion in the House Judiciary Committee (Chairman Bryan Stevenson is pictured) and became a few lines in a nearly 200-page bill that passed the House.

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A proposal moving forward in the Legislature would get rid of probate and drug court commissioners statewide starting next year and make those positions associate circuit judges. In the process, St. Louis City's circuit court would lose two drug court positions, and the court serving Kansas City would gain an associate judge. Those are just some of the judge swaps being considered under the bill. The overall legislation is aimed at rewriting the state's laws on child custody, but House Judiciary Chairman Bryan Stevenson tacked the judicial shuffling onto the bill as well.

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State Rep. Bryan Stevenson might have removed the biggest obstacle in the way of legislation meant to relieve the caseload crunch for the state's public defender system: himself. Stevenson, a Webb City Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, made the somewhat unusual move of asking for Sen. Jack Goodman's legislation to be sent away from his committee. The legislation was re-directed to the House General Laws Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Tim Jones, R-Eureka (pictured left).

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