Statement from Chip Robertson Regarding Recent Anti-Court Activity

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Robertson
(573) 230-4665

A small group of individuals, hiding behind the name, Better Courts for Missouri, claim to be a "coalition of Missourians from all walks of life." As with the Adam Smith Foundation, there is no evidence of members of this so-called coalition or who is affiliated with the organization. Anyone can put up a website and claim to be a "coalition," but to be credible, the names of the individuals and organizations standing behind it should be released. If the individuals promoting this so-called coalition really want what’s best for Missouri’s courts, then why the shroud of secrecy?

If these politicians and special interests are so certain they want to destroy our courts, then they should organize in the daylight and embrace the very principles they claim to want in our courts: openness, accountability, independence and excellence.

The only thing that’s transparent about this so-called coalition, and others like it, is their plan to destroy Missouri’s courts. Missourians deserve fair and impartial courts, not shell groups playing shell games with our justice system.

Unlike this phony shell of a group, Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts, represents a broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals devoted to protecting Missouri courts from attacks by politicians and special interest groups and preserving the Missouri nonpartisan court plan.

Our co-chairs include:

Honorable Jack Bardgett
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1979-1981
Appointed by Gov. Warren Hearnes (D)

Honorable Ann Covington
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1993-1995
Appointed by Gov. John Ashcroft (R)

Honorable Andrew Jackson Higgins
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1985-1987
Appointed by Gov. Joe Teasdale (D)

Honorable John Holstein
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1995-1997
Appointed by Gov. John Ashcroft (R)

Honorable Edward “Chip” Robertson
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1991-1993
Appointed by Gov. John Ashcroft (R)

Honorable Ronnie White
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice, 2003-2005
Appointed by Gov. Mel Carnahan (D)


Our members include:

AARP Missouri
37th Circuit Bar Association
American Federation of Teachers — Missouri
American Jewish Congress, St. Louis Chapter
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Boone County Bar Association
Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City
Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
Clay County Bar Association
Cole County Bar Association
Committee for County Progress (Jackson County)
Committee for Economic Development
Defense Research Institute
Eastern Jackson County Bar Association
Education Roundtable
Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings
Jewish Community Relations Council
Justice at Stake
Justice Institute of Missouri
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
KC Legal
The Lawyers Association of St. Louis
League of Women Voters
Lincoln County Bar Association
MAINstream Coalition
Missouri AFL-CIO
Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Missouri Association of Rural Educators
Missouri Association of School Administrators
Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys
Missouri Catholic Conference
Missouri Chapter of National Association of Elder Law Attorneys
Missouri Municipal League
Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association
Missouri National Education Association
Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
Missouri Republican Attorneys for Civil Justice
Missouri Retired Teachers Association
Missouri School Boards Association
Mound City Bar Association
National Employment Lawyers Association, St. Louis and Kansas City Chapters
Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association


Missourians depend on fair and impartial courts to provide stable and rational resolution of disputes, protect property and economic interests, and, when needed, protect people from the overreaching of government. Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts advocates for the courts to remain accountable to the constitution and the laws of the state-- not political pressure and special interests.

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