The Missouri Supreme Court is wading deeper into the area's municipal court mess.
A series of Post-Dispatch stories in March exposed the municipal courts as a well-oiled money machine run by municipalities and lawyers that . The newspaper found cases of attorneys routinely as judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, raising questions about how they can be impartial. And the newspaper found the municipal courts operate in secret and .
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The newspaper's reporting was nearly complete when a Department of Justice report concluded March 4 that Ferguson's police department was a collection agency for an unethical and ".
In a statement this morning, the state Supreme Court said it was soliciting comments from the public "concerning their experiences in particular municipal courts and their suggestions as to any practices or procedures that might improve those experiences."
Members of the public are invited to send suggestions to the clerk of the Supreme Court by May 1. Suggestions should identify specific municipal courts. Letters, of no more than two pages, should be sent to the Missouri Supreme Court, P.O. Box 150, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Complaints that a municipal judge may have violated the rules of ethics should be sent to the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline, 2190 South Mason Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.
Complaints that a prosecuting attorney or other attorney may have violated the rules of ethics should be sent to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, 3335 American Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65109.
