Missouri Supreme Court
JEFFERSON CITY -- Activists in favor of maintaining the so-called Missouri Plan for selecting the state's Supreme Court say a strong majority of Missourians agree with them. Washington, DC-based Justice at Stake announced yesterday that 71 percent of Missourians favored Missouri's long-standing system of gubernatorial appointment from a short list for top bench vacancies. Conservative groups attacked the protest during wrangling over a SC pick several months ago, LNL reported The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, also found that 73 percent of respondents expressed a desire for judges to remain independent of elected officials. The pollster's report said support for the Missouri Plan "cuts across every major sub-group in the poll including 74% of Republicans, 70% of Independents and 69% of Democrats." "With widespread support for the current selection process, it is not surprising to find a strong majority of Missouri voters opposed to the major reforms being considered by some groups," the report added. This is a reference to conservative groups like the Adam Smith Foundation, which seeks to have Missouri's Supreme Court Justices installed by popular vote. The groups and some Republican state lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction over the choices presented to Gov. Matt Blunt to fill the vacancy this past summer.