St. Louis Public Radio News
(2008-08-22)
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI
(KBIA) -
Three judges have been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Missouri Supreme Court.
They are Lisa White Hardwick and Ronald Holliger, who both sit on the Western District Court of Appeals, and Atchison County Judge Zel Fischer.
Holliger was also nominated last year after Ron White retired from the Supreme Court.
One of this year's nominees will replace Stephen Limbaugh, who accepted an appointment to the federal bench.
Thomas Walsh with the group Better Courts for Missouri is not impressed with two of the choices:
Judge Limbaugh had a strong belief in judicial restraint, that judges shouldn't be legislating from the bench and I know that from examining the record of Judge Hardwick and Judge Holliger previously that neither of them seems to embrace the philosophy of judicial restraint.
But House Minority Leader Paul LeVota says Missouri's system of selecting judges is both fair and diverse, and suggests that criticism of Hardwick and Holliger's nominations is unwarranted.
In a written statement issued last night (Thursday), Governor Matt Blunt neither praised nor criticized the selections, and said he'll thoughtfully review the nominees.
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