MISSOURI, USA — Have you been wondering what the judges in office have done, how they ruled, and what cases they overturned? You're not alone.
A long-time St. Louis County resident and early voter, Jenean Schaffer, 73, has taken it upon herself to be informed before heading to the polls after realizing that she knew very little about the judges.
"You only can make an educated decision if you have information. They're extremely important in the government of the United States. They're very powerful and very few people really understand their power. They can literally take down a governor, a lieutenant governor, or even an attorney general," Schaffer shared.
This journey began when Schaffer saw what she said was a misleading article about the judges listed on the ballot which linked to a website with no information about what the judges had actually done or stood for.
She said the website link made her feel like she was supposed to "go ahead and reelect these people and what it felt like to me was in my youth when women were treated in a way that when we had questions, we were just patted on the head and told not to worry our pretty little head about it."
She called the approach dismissive.
"It was condescending. And when I saw that little blanket stamp underneath each of those judges' names which was that they meet all the standards and, we say you ought to put them back in office re-election. ... It felt to me just like that, that patting on the head and saying you just go along with us, don't you worry your little self about it? You're just too cute to be thinking. And you know what, I'm an extremely intelligent, human being, extremely intelligent and that wasn't gonna sit with me."
So she called the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and the person she spoke with led her to the same website she visited feeling ill-equipped to cast a vote.
Schaffer was puzzled.
"How come you don't keep track of what they're doing?" Schaffer said. "How is it? I can not come to you and you can tell me, yeah, they're lawyers and these are their cases and this is how they ruled and this is where they were overturned. How come nobody is watching that? How come nobody is looking? These people are extremely powerful. What's going on here? Nobody's paying attention."
"It's a voluntary association of lawyers that provides opportunities for education, service, pro bono and networking for lawyers in the area. We are unlike The Missouri Bar, which is a mandatory bar governed by the rules of the Missouri Supreme Court and lawyers are required to join," Kevin Gunn, the president of BAMSL said.
"We don't evaluate judges or review specific case opinions. That is done by an independent committee appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court. The committee reviews surveys from lawyers that appear before the judges, jurors that serve in the judge’s courtrooms as well as evaluate judge’s written decisions," Susan McCourt Baltz, Executive Director of BAMSL said.
Click here to see the evaluations.
She called the St. Louis County Democratic Central Committee.
"They told me 'No, we don't have any information. We don't even bother. .... They're all Republican.' You know, there's nothing we can do about it. I said, 'Well take me off your donation list because what you're telling me is that the committee is not interested in, the judges, is not interested in doing anything about the judges, is not even interested in opposing any of the judges.' You put no effort and no concern there. That's what you just told me. And by the way, you want me to give you money. Why in the name of God would I do something that stupid."
5 On Your Side has been unable to reach this committee for a statement.
She also called the Republican Central Committee of St. Louis County, and the county courts and city courts, and then Schaffer called the Bar Association in Jefferson City.
She was passed on to multiple people and continued to ask the same question; Can you give me information about the judges?
"I want to know where I can find their opinions, their decisions, what they did, how they ruled. Were they overturned? Why were they overturned?" she said. "I want valid credible information and I'm frustrated and I'm getting pissed off that I can't find this. Why, what is this? It's got to be public information."
Her persistence led her to the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Missouri where she was able to get a website with information she could use.
Click here to learn about the judges on the 2024 Missouri Ballot.
Missouri Chief Justice Mary Russell understands Missouri voters' frustration.
"People often tell me they are confused about voting on the judges on their ballots. I understand their confusion, because which judges are on your ballot depends on where you live. That is because Missouri’s constitution provides for two types of judicial selection and two ways for Missourians to express their votes about judges," Russell shared in her reflection on the judicial elections in Missouri.
Schaffer considers this election important because she doesn't think she will live to see another election. She does not want the work done in her lifetime to be undone.
"Over and over again marching, organizing, you know the right for women to vote was not automatic. It had to be amended to the Constitution," she said.
Her passionate and urgent pursuit to get answers comes from seeing the loss and her concern that more loss to women's rights is on the horizon.
"I'm willing to be that person that stands up and says, 'I want you to pay attention and this is where you can get the information,'" Schaffer said.
In just one day, Schaffer was able to uncover a common question that many have asked about on social media.
When it comes to judges she perceives them as probably the most important officials in our state. Everyone knows the issues presidential candidates are advocating for but voters need the same education about the judges in our state.
If you would like assistance finding details on the website. Here's instructions:
- Click the "Pending Cases and Decisions" button.
- Then click the "Opinions and Other Decisions" button minutes.
- From there you can click the "Missouri Appellate Opinions" or the find specific court decisions based on the region you live in or specific judges.
