Our Opinion: Good intentions do not justify ending elections

If the Nonpartisan Court Plan becomes a reality for Cole County's judicial circuit, it may hereafter be known as the "Block the Influence of Big Money" plan.

A petition effort to put the nonpartisan plan on Cole County's ballot is being circulated by a group titled "Cole Countians to Preserve Fair and Impartial Courts."

The plan would replace existing partisan elections with nonpartisan selections for judges.

The honorary co-chairmen of the group are Edward "Chip" Robertson, a former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice, and Sharon Naught, a community business leader and volunteer. Former Mayor George Hartsfield is the committee's treasurer.

They make no secret of the group's motivation or purpose, which is to prevent a recurrence of out-of-state money dumped into a Cole County campaign for circuit judge.

The 2014 campaign for circuit judge is memorable, largely because of the infusion of money critics contend was spent to "buy" the judicial seat.

Judges in Cole County's 19th judicial circuit - and most rural circuits - compete in partisan elections. Last year, incumbent Democrat Pat Joyce was challenged by Republican Brian Stumpe, who received $100,000 from the Washington, D.C.-based Republican State Leadership Committee. The committee also spent $200,000 in advertising to attack Joyce's record.

Observers connected the expenditures to Missouri political activist Rex Sinquefield, who, according to the IRS, donated $300,000 to the RSLC.

Although the committee maintains there was no direct connection between Sinquefield's donation and the financial boost for Stumpe's campaign, critics offer a sarcastic, "Yeah, right."

Robertson was more diplomatic. "Now is the time for Cole Countians to send a message that politics do not belong in the courtroom," he said, "and that we will not allow our courthouse to be sold to the highest bidder."

We also are alarmed about what is called "dark money" - campaign contributions funneled through organizations designed to conceal the identity of the donor.

In this forum on Nov. 9, 2014, we wrote an editorial titled, "Voters vanquish "walkers' carrying dark money," and applauded county voters for rejecting the dark money campaign.

Therein lies the dilemma.

A nonpartisan plan would eliminate the threat of dark money influencing judicial selection, but it also would eliminate the ability of Cole County voters to select their judges. And voters rejected the dark money campaign in 2014.

We understand and appreciate the motivation for proposing the Nonpartisan Court Plan for Cole County. And we support the application of the nonpartisan plan for Supreme and appeals court judges.

But unless and until local voters succumb to the influence of dark money, we are inclined to trust them to vote judiciously.