Tech Trends

The Judicial Branch remains the most elusive part of our government evading the grips of even the most astute journalists.

While Governor Matt Blunt opened debate on the Missouri Plan, few looked into the assertions Blunt was making utilizing the same tools journalists would use to analyze a politicians position.

For Southwest Missouri News Bloggers, evaluating and reporting campaign contributions is a regular practice. When it came to reporting campaign contributions made by members of the Missouri Appellate Court, a publication printed by the Missouri Bar was the only media outlet offering intel about three members contributions to Democratic politicians.

In fact, analysis regarding legal issues tends to be sloppy at best. The Columbia Tribune’s political blog posted an editorial by Tribune Publisher Hank Waters today which elegantly dictates through example this Achilles tendon of the modern media. When discussing the Missouri Plan, Water’s writes

Too bad the appointment was clouded in a larger argument over the validity of the so-called Missouri Plan, the current selection process that has served well and has become a model for about half the other states in the union.

Breckenridge is a Republican elected under that party label to the circuit court in Vernon County and later appointed through the Missouri Plan to the appeals court by then-Gov. John Ashcroft.

Lawyers of my acquaintance who are well qualified to know such things said all three candidates presented to the governor were well qualified. Even though the selection panel presented its nominees based on that fundamental criterion, Blunt and his lieutenants asked a long list of questions of their own, fair enough as the governor prepared to make his decision, but it seemed the administration was as interested in demeaning the process as in helping to make it better.

Who are these lawyers guiding the narrative? Are they members of the Trial Lawyers Bar or another special club of attorneys with a specific legislative agenda? Shouldn’t the validity of the Missouri Plan come into question or should we take our “lawyer friend’s word” that Missouri has the best system for selecting Supreme Court Judges?

Isn’t our government supposed to be , “By the people, for the people? If it is, why do we leave a third of our government to a select group of people with special rights to tell us what is good for us?

Governor Blunt eventually selected Patricia Breckenridge .

And in the process we’ve learned more abut the Missouri Plan and our newest member of the Supreme Court than we know about any members sitting on the most respected and powerful court in Missouri.

Is the Missouri Plan good for the citizens of Missouri? What do I know, I’m just a reporter.

——————–

The difference may be that I care. Water’s states when it comes to the courts apathy is a good thing.

Instead of taking his advice, I think I’ll try to be a more informed American. While local media outlets avoid learning about the courts I’m going to spend more time studying them.