The Kansas House has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have changed how state Supreme Court justices are selected. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, the plan would have given the governor the power to pick justices, subject to Senate confirmation.
Supporters of the change said it would put more power in the hands of Kansas voters and their elected officials, but the measure came up short of the 2/3 vote needed.
A bipartisan group voted against the proposal. Democratic Rep. Boog Highberger says the plan would have inserted politics into the selection of justices. He says the current system has been working well for decades.
“It was put into place because of a corruption scandal that resulted from a previous system of governor-appointed Supreme Court justices. I think this would just be turning back the clock,” Highberger says.
Under the current system, a nominating commission screens candidates and the governor gets to pick from a pool of three choices.
