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While we
appreciate and heartily second the Post-Dispatch’s
perceptive and resounding endorsement of Gov. Jay Nixon’s
appointment of Judge George W. Draper III to the Missouri Supreme
Court, our feelings were expressed better by
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Robert S. Kenney, a commissioner on the Missouri Public Service Commission and seasoned lawyer in Missouri government.
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Robert, one
of Judge Draper’s legion of staunch supporters among the
African-American leadership in this region, articulated most
persuasively the case for Draper’s appointment to Nixon while the
governor was considering a very impressive three-person panel of
candidates provided according to the Missouri Non-Partisan Court
Plan.
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Judge
Draper’s advocates – not all of them black, by any means –
emphasized how perfectly prepared for the high court he is by
virtue of serving a
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>s a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District, where he has demonstrated superior legal analysis and clear, concise writing. Throughout a long judicial career at every level, Draper has always been known for treating litigants, attorneys and colleagues with respect and civility. He has not only achieved career greatness, he has demonstrated leadership. He has served as the Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals and in his early career as a prosecutor he was a leader in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, serving as a team leader and as first assistant.
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Robert added
a personal note to us, when his counsel was sought on evaluating
the value and power of this historic appointment by the governor –
Gov. Nixon has joined Gov. Mel Carnahan as the only Missouri
governors to appoint an African American to the state’s highest
court. (Carnahan appointed Judge Ronnie L. White, another proactive
Draper advocate.) “
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>I would add that the psychological impact of Judge Draper’s appointment is immeasurable,” Robert wrote to us. “ It is important that African-American lawyers, and African Americans generally, see living, breathing members of our community succeeding in academic and intellectual pursuits. The psychic effect of seeing black achievement at the highest level of the legal system cannot be overestimated.”
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One thinks of
President Barack Obama. Long after he has returned to private life,
and whatever his trials leading this fractured nation at this
difficult time, Obama will have immeasurably transformed an
innumerable number of African Americans and Africans. But President
Obama’s change in the images of black people has occurred in the
minds of more than black people, and Robert Kenney sees the same
effect in the appointment of Missouri Supreme Court Judge George
Draper. He notes, “Equally important is the psychic effect that
this appointment will have on the majority community as
well. Seeing men like George Draper achieving in the law serves to
break down the notions of black inferiority to which many in the
majority community continue to cling.”
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We heartily
and unequivocally agree. As Nixon has done by placing so much of
his trust and operations in Commissioner of Administration Kelvin
Simmons, this appointment is a strong affirmation that this
conservative Democratic governor believes in and trusts black
leadership for Missouri at the most senior level. We applaud Gov.
Nixon for this important decision and encourage African Americans
to keep this historic appointment in mind when evaluating the
merits of this governor and his administration.
