Appellate judges on Nov. 2 ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri voters will decide in November whether Judge Richard Teitelman is worthy of a full term on the state Supreme Court.

Depending on the county in which they reside, Southeast Missouri voters will also help determine whether five members of the state Court of Appeals Eastern District or three judges of the appeals court's southern district get to keep their jobs.

Under Missouri's nonpartisan court system, appellate judges are appointed by the governor from a list of three finalists vetted by a judicial commission. After appointees serve at least a year on the bench, they have to stand for retention at the next general election in order to win full 12-year terms. Judges nearing the end of their terms also are subject to retention votes.

Voters mark their ballots "yes" or "no" as to whether a judge deserves to remain on the bench. In the six-decade history of this system, no member of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals has ever been voted out of office.

Because few appellate judges are household names, the Missouri Bar surveys lawyers who practice before judges up for retention to provide the public with a guide as to each judge's performance.

Bar president Bill Corrigan said it is important for voters to make informed decisions concerning those whose rulings affect their lives.

The bar survey rates judges on a five-point scale in five categories: courtesy, fairness, clarity, integrity and legal analysis. A score of one stands for "poor," while a five rating means "excellent."

Rounding to the nearest whole number, every judge on the ballot in Southeast Missouri rated scores of four, or "above average," in each category.

Because the surveys are anonymously submitted, Corrigan said it is astounding that the lawyers scored all the judges so high and overwhelmingly endorsed the retention of each.

"These lawyers have no basis to do anything but tell the truth," Corrigan said.

Teitelman, who turns 57 on Saturday, is the only judge appearing on the ballot statewide on Nov. 2. Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, named him to the Supreme Court in 2002. Among lawyers surveyed, 80.8 percent recommended Teitelman's retention.

Voters in Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties will consider retention for judges of the St. Louis-based eastern district appeals court. They are:

Kathianne Knaup Crane, 58. Appointed in 1990. Retention recommendation: 84.2 percent.

Clifford Ahrens, 58. Appointed in 1991. Retention recommendation: 84.9 percent.

Glenn Norton, 54. Appointed in 2002. Retention recommendation: 81.8 percent.

Booker T. Shaw, 53. Appointed in 2002. Retention recommendation: 89.5 percent.

Patricia Cohen, 48. Appointed in 2003. Retention recommendation: 80.8 percent.

Voters in all other Southeast Missouri counties will decide the fates of members of the Court of Appeals Southern District, based in Springfield. They are:

James Prewitt, 68. Appointed in 1979. Retention recommendation: 93 percent.

John Parrish, 64. Appointed in 1990. Retention recommendation: 90.8 percent.

Kenneth Shrum, 66. Appointed in 1990. A Cape Girardeau native, he served as Bollinger County prosecuting attorney from 1967 to 1989. Retention recommendation: 90.9 percent.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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