Missouri voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. As you look at the ballot for local races, you will also see a handful of judges that are on the ballot for a retention vote.

Missouri was the first state in the union to adopt a non-partisan system for appointing appellate judges and trial court judges in metropolitan areas. Where the non-partisan court plan is in use, the Governor appoints a judge from a panel recommended by the appropriate judicial commission. After one year on the bench, the public decides whether each judge will return to the bench. Having the final say and ensuring the integrity of the judiciary is essentially left up to the voters. Our plan for appointing judges has been a model for the nation, and 33 other states have adopted this plan in some fashion, commonly referred to as the “Missouri Plan.” Missouri’s non-partisan court plan has been under attack in the past several years from those who would like to see appellate judges elected. Our neighbors in Illinois are in the midst of judicial elections with more than $1.8 million dollars being spent in the last two weeks. There really should be no room for politics in the judiciary if you want fair and impartial judges.

Missouri judges subject to the non-partisan Court plan are prohibited from campaigning for retention by the Missouri Code of Judicial Conduct. So how do you determine if you want to retain one of the judges on the Missouri ballot? The Missouri Bar has been evaluating judges appointed under the Non-Partisan Court Plan and providing that information to voters since 1948. A 12 member appellate judicial performance evaluation committee, made up of equal numbers of lawyers and non-lawyers, studied the results of anonymous surveys completed by lawyers and court staff regarding each judge’s skills and qualifications. In addition, the committee analyzed opinions issued by those Missouri judges. The evaluation and recommendations of the committee can be found at www.yourmissourijudges.org. We encourage you to take the time to review the information and make an informed choice when you vote.