President's page: An informed electorate, an independent judiciary

Athena Dickson is 2025-2026 Missouri Bar president and a partner at Siro Smith Dickson PC.

Over the past several months, I have discussed in my “President’s Page” columns two closely related responsibilities that define our profession beyond the practice of law. First, I asked our members to help build a network of lawyer-leaders dedicated to civic education and public understanding of Missouri’s judicial retention system. I also discussed the importance of an independent judiciary and the constitutional principle that our courts are a co-equal branch of government, not a lesser one.

As my term as 2025-2026 Missouri Bar president draws to a close in September, I would be remiss if I did not reflect on how an informed electorate and an independent judiciary converge in my final “President’s Page” column.

As lawyers, we understand that judicial independence does not sustain itself. It depends upon public confidence. Public confidence depends upon public understanding. And public understanding requires education.

That work becomes especially important during judicial retention election years.

This November, voters will decide whether to retain 50 judges serving under Missouri’s Non-Partisan Court Plan, also called The Missouri Plan. For many voters, however, the judicial retention process remains unfamiliar. They may not understand why Missouri adopted merit selection, how judicial performance evaluations work, or why retention elections were designed to promote judicial accountability while protecting courts from political pressures.

If we — Missouri lawyers — do not explain these principles, someone else will.

The need for public education is not unique to Missouri. Our neighbors in Kansas provide a timely example. In August, Kansas voters will consider a constitutional amendment that would fundamentally change how justices of the Kansas Supreme Court are selected. The proposal would replace Kansas’ long-standing merit-selection system with direct statewide elections for Supreme Court justices.

The steps taken in Kansas demonstrate an important reality: Systems that protect judicial independence cannot be taken for granted. They must be understood, explained, and defended.

The Missouri Plan has long been recognized nationally as a model for balancing accountability and independence. It helps establish a process to select judges on the Supreme Court of Missouri, on the Missouri Court of Appeals, in the City of St. Louis, and in Clay, Jackson, Platte, St. Louis, and Greene counties while preserving voter oversight through retention elections.

The Missouri Plan seeks to ensure that judges are selected based upon qualifications, integrity, temperament, and competence, not political popularity or campaign fundraising ability.

Yet even the strongest systems depend upon an informed public.

This is not about advocating for particular judges, nor is it about partisan politics. It is about helping Missourians understand the structure of our government, the role of the judiciary, and the safeguards that protect the rule of law.

It is about explaining why judges must be able to make decisions based upon facts and law, even when those decisions are unpopular. It is about ensuring voters have accurate information when they enter the voting booth.

And it is about preserving public trust in the institutions that resolve disputes peacefully and fairly.

As we move toward November, I encourage every Missouri lawyer to become an ambassador for civic education. That is why The Missouri Bar’s Education Outreach Network is so important. Across the state, lawyers serve on Rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, school boards, neighborhood associations, civic organizations, and nonprofit boards. Every one of those organizations represents an opportunity to help Missourians better understand how our courts function and why judicial independence matters.

Visit MoBar.org/EducationOutreach to sign up.

Help us educate — we cannot do this without everyone’s help. Engage in conversations about the role of the courts. Most importantly, help your fellow Missourians understand why an independent judiciary matters to everyone.

The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends upon institutions that are respected, courts that are independent, and Missourians who understand both.

Lawyers have always been teachers as well as advocates. This year, our state needs us to be both.

Together, we can ensure that Missouri voters enter the November election informed, engaged, and prepared to fulfill one of the most important civic responsibilities entrusted to them.

Thank you for helping advance this important work and for your support throughout my year as president. It has been a tremendous privilege to serve The Missouri Bar. I am proud to be a Missouri lawyer and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside so many dedicated professionals who care deeply about our profession, our justice system, and our communities.

I look forward to seeing you in Kansas City at The Missouri Bar’s Annual Meeting Sept. 16-18.