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EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 114
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HUDSON.
6827S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
JOINT RESOLUTION
Submitting to the qualified voters of Missouri, an amendment repealing sections 19, 25(a), and
25(d) of article V of the Constitution of Missouri, and adopting three new sections in
lieu thereof relating to judges.
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring therein:
That at the next general election to be held in the 1
state of Missouri, on Tuesday next following the first Monday 2
in November, 2026, or at a special election to be called by 3
the governor for that purpose, there is hereby submitted to 4
the qualified voters of this state, for adoption or 5
rejection, the following amendment to article V of the 6
Constitution of the state of Missouri:7
Section A. Sections 19, 25(a), and 25(d), article V, 1
Constitution of Missouri, are repealed and three new sections 2
adopted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 19, 25(a), and 3
25(d), to read as follows:4
Section 19. 1. Judges of the supreme court and of the 1
court of appeals shall [be selected] serve for terms of 2
[twelve] seven years[,] and judges of the circuit courts for 3
terms of six years, and associate circuit judges for terms 4
of four years. 5
2. Each judge of the supreme court and of the court of 6
appeals in office as of, or with a term starting on, January 7
1, 2027, shall hold office for the remainder of his or her 8
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term after which the office shall be vacated subject to 9
appointment under this article. 10
Section 25(a). Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the 1
office of judge of the supreme court or the court of 2
appeals, the governor, by and with the advice and consent of 3
the senate, shall appoint one person possessing the 4
qualifications for such office to fill such vacancy. 5
Whenever a vacancy shall occur [in the office of judge of 6
any of the following courts of this state, to wit: The 7
supreme court, the court of appeals, or] in the office of 8
circuit or associate circuit judge within the city of St. 9
Louis and Jackson county, the governor shall fill such 10
vacancy by appointing one of three persons possessing the 11
qualifications for such office, who shall be nominated and 12
whose names shall be submitted to the governor by a 13
nonpartisan judicial commission established and organized as 14
hereinafter provided. If the governor fails to appoint any 15
of the nominees within sixty days after the list of nominees 16
is submitted, the nonpartisan judicial commission making the 17
nomination shall appoint one of the nominees to fill the 18
vacancy. 19
Section 25(d). Nonpartisan judicial commissions whose 1
duty it shall be to nominate and submit to the governor 2
names of persons for appointment as provided by sections 3
25(a)-(g) are hereby established and shall be organized on 4
the following basis: [For vacancies in the office of judge 5
of the supreme court or of the court of appeals, there shall 6
be one such commission, to be known as "The Appellate 7
Judicial Commission";] For vacancies in the office of 8
circuit judge or associate circuit judge of any circuit 9
court subject to the provisions of sections 25(a)-(g) there 10
shall be one such commission, to be known as "The _________ 11
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Circuit Judicial Commission", for each judicial circuit 12
which shall be subject to the provisions of sections 25(a)- 13
(g)[; the appellate judicial commission shall consist of a 14
judge of the supreme court selected by the members of the 15
supreme court, and the remaining members shall be chosen in 16
the following manner: The members of the bar of this state 17
residing in each court of appeals district shall elect one 18
of their number to serve as a member of said commission, and 19
the governor shall appoint one citizen, not a member of the 20
bar, from among the residents of each court of appeals 21
district, to serve as a member of said commission, and the 22
members of the commission shall select one of their number 23
to serve as chairman]. Each circuit judicial commission 24
shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the 25
chief judge of the district of the court of appeals within 26
which the judicial circuit of such commission, or the major 27
portion of the population of said circuit is situated and 28
the remaining four members shall be chosen in the following 29
manner: The members of the bar of this state residing in the 30
judicial circuit of such commission shall elect two of their 31
number to serve as members of said commission, and the 32
governor shall appoint two citizens, not members of the bar, 33
from among the residents of said judicial circuit to serve 34
as members of said commission, the members of the commission 35
shall select one of their number to serve as chairman; and 36
the terms of office of the members of such commission shall 37
be fixed by law, but no law shall increase or diminish the 38
term of any member then in office. No member of any such 39
commission other than a judge shall hold any public office, 40
and no member shall hold any official position in a 41
political party. Every such commission may act only by the 42
concurrence of a majority of its members. The members of 43
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such commission shall receive no salary or other 44
compensation for their services but they shall receive their 45
necessary traveling and other expenses incurred while 46
actually engaged in the discharge of their official duties. 47
All such commissions shall be administered, and all 48
elections provided for under this section shall be held and 49
regulated, under such rules as the supreme court shall 50
promulgate. 51
Section B. Pursuant to chapter 116, and other 1
applicable constitutional provisions and laws of this state 2
allowing the general assembly to adopt ballot language for 3
the submission of this joint resolution to the voters of 4
this state, the official summary statement of this 5
resolution shall be as follows: 6
"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to 7
provide for appointment by the Governor, with 8
the advice and consent of the Missouri Senate, 9
of judges of the Supreme Court and of the Court 10
of Appeals and to modify the length of the term 11
of office of such judges to seven years?". 12
✓