Missouri’s hybrid systems for selecting judges ensures all Missouri judges are accountable to the people, while their initial selection may vary. The Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan provides for both partisan and retention judicial elections.
Partisan-elected judges run under a party label against challengers, unless no one chooses to oppose them. Voters elect their local judges during regular elections. Elected judges must run for reelection at the end of each term.
On the other hand, nonpartisan judges do not run against challengers. Voters are asked to vote for or against them based on the strength of their performance on the bench. You may find judicial performance reviews for this group of judges on this website.
Because nonpartisan judges don’t run against an opponent, they are prohibited by the Code of Judicial Conduct from campaigning for retention. Due to this prohibition, and because judges serving under the Missouri Plan are either appellate judges or serving in large metropolitan areas, voters often have difficulty finding information to consider as they prepare to vote on the retention of these judges.
To help voters gain insight as to the performance of judges seeking retention this year, the Judicial Performance Review Committee – a statewide panel of lawyers, non-lawyers and retired judges – have reviewed the performance of each nonpartisan judge appearing on this year’s general election ballot.
This website, designed and maintained by The Missouri Bar, showcases the performance review for each nonpartisan judge seeking retention this year. For those who are interested in more detail, the numerical results of the lawyer survey and juror survey for each judge are also available on this website, along with copies of the judges’ opinions.
Identify your circuit court below and learn about the nonpartisan judges up for retention this election year where you live.
