Missouri’s non-partisan court plan is good for the economy or so says a study released by the Show-Me Institute.
The Show Me Institute pushes conservative causes, stating it promotes market solutions for Missouri public policy. A study it has published by two economics professors suggests the non-partisan merit selection of judges creates the fair and stable judicial system that allows business to flourish.
"The worst thing that it seems that you could do is go back to partisan elections," says assistant economics professor Joshua Hall with Beloit College in Wisconsin, a co-author of the study.
Hall says several studies indicate partisan elections create the worst judicial system. The study indicates that partisan elections create an unstable and inconsistent judicial system within a state Hall says it is less clear what type of merit selection is best. Hall says both sides in the current argument about the Missouri Plan can probably use portions of the study to argue their side, because the study favors merit selection over partisan election, but doesn’t distinguish between various forms of merit selection. Hall says those promoting change could claim adjustments equal improvement while those supporting the plan as is can point to the study’s conclusion that it isn’t clear any change can improve the quality of the judiciary in Missouri.
Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:10 MP3)
