Editor’s note: This series of articles is intended to encourage a better understanding of the judicial system and changes in the law. The last article featured Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Zel Fischer and his recent “State of the Judiciary” speech to Missouri’s General Assembly. This article is a follow-up to his comments.
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by Circuit Judge R. Brent Elliott
I have great admiration for Justice Fischer. He has risen from humble rural Missouri roots to a position due great respect. As my grandmother used to put it, “He’s a country boy made good.” We recently acknowledged another such country boy with the celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. No one has derived from more humble beginnings and assumed such power under more adverse conditions. Lincoln guided this country through its most tumultuous civil trial in history. He did so while appealing to, as he put it, “the better angels of our nature.”
Chief Justice Fischer presides over an endless supply of meetings with his six Supreme Court colleagues. The judges come from vastly different backgrounds and represent every viewpoint of our political spectrum. Yet, they engage in discussions about politically charged issues without the utterance of a harsh word.
Like Missouri’s Supreme Court, there are seven judges in our 43rd Judicial Circuit. Like the high court, our judges hail from a diversity of backgrounds with a broad spectrum of political views. Our 43rd Circuit Judges frequently meet to modify or adopt rules, budgets, and discuss other issues. I am proud to say the judges may not always agree, but never a cross word is spoken.
One need only view the news to see we are a nation in turmoil. Politicians (and civilians) at odds to such extremes all civility is evaporated. School shootings, often fueled by the prevalence of bullying among our youth, are rampant. Clashes between civilians and law enforcement officials, parents, and school officials. Query, where, or how, will it all end?
Perhaps we could follow the leads of Chief Justice Fischer and 43rd Circuit Presiding Judge Tom Chapman and engage in civil political discourse. Perhaps we should, as Lincoln put it, appeal to “the better angels of our nature.”
Next column we’ll discuss some recent changes in Missouri’s laws.