MISSOURI LAWYERS JUDGE JUDGES' PERFORMANCES

A report reveals that Missouri lawyers are pleased with the Eastern District's merit-selected judges who will be up for retention by Missouri voters in the Nov. 5 elections.

Lawyers critiqued judges in the Missouri Supreme Court and the state's Court of Appeals, said Jack Wax, media-relations director for the Missouri Bar.

The results were released Tuesday in the booklet "Voters Information About Judges," Wax said. This year's ratings were conducted in a public service project of The Bar Association and the Missouri Bar.

St. Louis and counties south, including Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve and Perry counties, fall into the Eastern District. Voters in those counties will vote either yes or no on retaining a Supreme Court judge and four appeals judges, Wax said.

Judges in the Eastern District received high marks in courtesy, fairness, clarity, integrity and legal analysis by more than 700 Missouri lawyers.

Lawyers from the district gave judges ratings from 1 to 5 in those categories, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. All of the voting lawyers recommended retaining all of the Eastern District judges.

Wax said lawyers are in a unique position to evaluate judges: In addition to understanding the law and legal procedures, they are directly affected by the quality of the judiciary.

"The ratings are designed to help all voters cast an informed ballot," said Charles Weiss, president of the Missouri Bar.

Weiss said past surveys have shown that most voters have little knowledge about their state judges. He said about 40 percent of those voters who cast ballots in judicial elections had no information about the judges.

"The organized bar is trying to provide as many voters as possible with meaningful information -- not campaign rhetoric -- about merit-selected judges," Weiss said. "Regardless of whether Missourians vote for or against any judge, their decisions should be informed ones."

Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie L. White, 44, a St. Louis resident who has been on the highest state court since Nov. 1, represents the Eastern District. He will be the Supreme Court judge on Cape Girardeau and other Eastern District counties' ballots.

Appeals Judges William H. Crandall Jr., Robert G. Dowd Jr., Kent E. Karohl and Mary Rhodes Russell also will be on the ballot.

Missouri's organized bar doesn't support or oppose the retention of any judge, Wax said. Although its ratings of judges show the percentage of lawyers who believe each judge should or should not be retained, the bar encourages voters to make their own decision.

"It's not a guide," Wax said. "This is just another piece of information to help voters make up their mind."

All the ratings were done anonymously, Wax said, so that judges did not know how any individual lawyer rated him or her.

Three regional versions of the booklet are being distributed, one for St. Louis, one for Kansas City and the third for all other parts of the state, including Southeast Missouri.

The booklets, which are provided free, can be ordered by calling the Missouri Bar toll-free, 1-800-829-4128. Locally, copies can be picked up at courthouses and libraries. Copies of the ratings are also posted on the Missouri Bar's Internet site: http://www.mobar.org.