Carnahan Wins Court Case Over Judge Selection Ballot Question

A Cole County Judge has dismissed a case against the Secretary of State regarding ballot summary for Amendment 3, that would change how judges are selected for the state’s Supreme and Appeals courts.
The proposal would raise the number of appointees of the Governor on commissions that nominate appellate court finalists, and raise from three to four the number of finalists. It was passed by the Republican-led legislature, which opted not to provide its own ballot summary. Plaintiffs accused Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Democrat, of creating misleading language for its summary.
Circuit Judge Jon Beetem says the summary meets the requirements of Missouri law. He says it “accurately reflects the legal and probable effects of the proposed amendment without bias, prejudice, deception or favoritism.”