Blunt taps Enterprise president for judicial commission

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The president of Enterprise Rent-A-Car was appointed Wednesday by the governor to a panel that nominates judges to serve on the state's highest courts.

Donald Ross, 63, of St. Louis, is Gov. Matt Blunt's first appointment to the seven-member Appellate Judicial Commission, a relatively low-profile but powerful body.

The panel submits three nominees to the governor whenever vacancies occur on the Supreme Court or any of the state's three regional Court of Appeals. The governor then selects one of those nominees to appoint to the bench.

Blunt, a Republican, has frequently criticized "activist" judges whose rulings he believes stray beyond interpreting state laws to essentially imposing new laws. He also has expressed displeasure with some candidates he has received from the judicial nominating panel.

The commission consists of three members appointed by governors and three elected by attorneys. The chief justice serves as the seventh member. Until Wednesday, all three appointed members had been picked by previous Democratic governors.

Ross replaces Mildred Cohn, of St. Louis, whose term expired Dec. 31.

Previewing Ross' appointment without mentioning his name, Blunt told a gathering of Republican lawyers several weeks ago that they would be "very pleased" with his upcoming conservative choice for the panel.

He announced Ross' appointment Wednesday to business people attending the Missouri Economic Development Council conference, suggesting he would help select judges sympathetic to them.

"He's somebody who understands business and how important it is to have a fair legal system for businesses to thrive and grow and employ more Missourians," Blunt said. "Don understands that judges should be people that try to interpret the law and adjudicate the cases, not people that legislate from the bench."