Efforts are underway to vote “no” on two Missouri Supreme Court justices after they dissented in the case that kept Amendment 3 on the ballot

FENTON, Mo. (First Alert 4) – St. Louis County judges hoping to keep their jobs held a forum just a week before the election.

Eleven of the 17 St. Louis County Associate Circuit Court and Circuit Court judges spoke on a panel led by the League of Women Voters.

“I don’t come in with a predetermined agenda, I literally just look at the law,” said St. Louis County District Court Judge Hon. Daniel Kertz.

Something you don't see often: St. Louis County judges answer questions from the public about their legal practices and how their jobs work.

“Our job is to apply this law, and this law is currently a cash bond,” said St. Louis County District Court Judge Hon. Jeffrey Medler.

“The judges are the ones whose decisions during the trial can definitely impact how things turn out,” said Nathan Carrington, an associate professor of political science at Saint Louis University.

Carrington, who specializes in judicial politics, says judicial retention elections give the courts more legitimacy, and even if a judge keeps his job, that can send a message.

“It's still an important way for the public to signal to the justices what they think and how they respond to the court's decisions, even if they don't end up kicking the judge out,” Carrington said.

This election seeks to unseat two Missouri Supreme Court justices: Ginger Gooch and Kelly Broniec.

It's not hard to find social media posts from Missouri residents urging voters to vote against both justices following their decision in the case that upheld Amendment 3 – the right to abortion to put the ballot paper had a different opinion.

“I don’t think it’s their right to take that vote away from me,” said Beth Mattingly, who attended Tuesday’s judges’ forum.

Mattingly says she disagrees with the justices' intent to keep Amendment 3 off the ballot.

“And I don’t appreciate that and I’m not going to vote for her,” Mattingly said.

In the last five elections, Missouri Supreme Court justices received an average of 68% of the vote, and they all retained their positions.

But Carrington says there's a chance these efforts could work.

“This abortion law change really overshadows this election,” Carrington said.

Carrington adds that the justices' decision to try to keep abortion off the ballot was made recently and there could be a surge in voters coming to the polls specifically to vote for Amendment 3.

“It's an uphill battle for those trying to make it happen, but if it were to happen, I think it would be the perfect storm,” Carrington said.

The jury was not allowed to comment on the state Supreme Court's judicial question Tuesday for ethical reasons.

In fact, the last time a judge was voted out in Missouri was in St. Louis County in 2018, when Judy Preddy Draper lost her position as district judge.

To learn more about judicial elections in Missouri, click here.

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