Anyone following the appointment to the state Supreme Court to replace Judge Ronnie White has to be puzzled, amused and/or aggravated by the twists and turns of new (or old) documents needed (or needed again) by the governor’s office. Many are blaming Governor Matt Blunt’s commissions and boards boy, Tom Reiss, for this burgeoning fiasco.
The Blunt administration says the questionnaire sent to candidates was based on the Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire for former U.S. Supreme Court candidate Harriet Miers. But Miers’ questionnaire only contained 28 questions, all relevant to the practice of law and the judiciary. Current Missouri Supreme Court candidates are faced with a mountain of questions totaling more than 110. “That these three outstanding appellate judges have to tackle a full-time job on the bench and spend what appears to be months to complete Blunt’s amateurish form is insulting,” one influential local attorney fumed.
Apparently Chief of Staff (i.e., acting governor) Ed Martin, himself an attorney, is vexed at the judicial commission’s choice of panelists. The non-partisan commission itself will be in the rifle sights of the Missouri Republican right wing in coming elections and campaigns. Muddying the waters of this appointment is seen by many as part of that strategy.