Bill > HJR153

This concurrent resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to change how judges are selected for certain courts and their retirement age. Specifically, it would alter the process for filling vacancies in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, requiring the Governor to appoint judges with the advice and consent of the Senate, rather than through a nonpartisan judicial commission. For circuit and associate circuit judges in St. Louis City and Jackson County, the current system of appointment from a list provided by a nonpartisan judicial commission would remain. The resolution also raises the mandatory retirement age for judges from seventy to seventy-five years and prohibits judges from participating in political campaigns or accepting gifts from paid lobbyists, while allowing for campaign contributions consistent with the law and gifts from close relatives. Additionally, it establishes a "Joint Committee on Judicial Appointments" composed of five members from the House of Representatives and five from the Senate, all of whom must be licensed attorneys if possible, to evaluate judicial appointments made by the Governor.