The 22nd Circuit Judicial Commission has selected 12 candidates for an associate circuit vacancy on the St. Louis Circuit Court that they will interview in September.
The vacancy was created after Gov. Mike Parson elevated Associate Circuit Judge Lynne R. Perkins to the circuit bench in St. Louis on June 2.
Interviews, set for Sept. 8 at the Court of Appeals courthouse in St. Louis, are open to the public.
Under the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, judicial commissions for each district review applications, and interview candidates before selecting three nominees from which the governor appoints one person.
“The Missouri plan is great,” said Bill Bay, member emeritus of the Missouri Bar Board and past president of the Metropolitan St. Louis Bar Association. “I'm a big believer in it.”
The judicial commissions are also responsible for selecting nominees for vacancies on the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeals. Gov. Mike Parson makes a final decision among three finalists within 60 days.
“It just works,” Bay told the St. Louis Record. “Is anything perfect? No, but I think it works a lot better than political campaigns that I see.”
The Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan was adopted by ballot initiative in the 1940s.
“In the federal system, we have a little different role,” Bay said in an interview. “We have a federal judiciary committee that advises, and gives opinion, not based on people's politics, but on whether they have the temperament and qualifications to be a federal judge.”
Missouri’s state court plan is designed to be a merit-based and non-partisan process for selecting judges and the general public is encouraged to submit commentary on each judicial candidate to the judicial commission.
“It would be wonderful if a nonpartisan court plan was implemented nationwide, but the selection process of judges is controlled by states,” Bay added. “So, every state has its own process.”
Perkins earned his law degree from Washington University and first became a judge in 2017 by Gov. Eric Greitens’ appointment.
He was appointed to succeed Judge Michael K. Mullen.
The candidates to replace Perkins includes five women, seven men, five applicants of color with three of the 12 working in the private sector and nine in the public sector. Their mean age is 42.
The applicants are Nathan A. Arunski, Lauren C. Collins, Catherine A. Dierker, Matthew S. Dionne, Alexa N. Hillery, Connie L. Johnson, Richard T. King, Joshua E. Lubatkin, Patrick E. Richmond, Renee M. Sullivan, Michael L. Walton and John L. Wright.