§ 309. Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission.

(a)

Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission established. There is established a five-member Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission for the Kansas City Municipal Division.

(b)

Duties of the Commission.

(1)

Submission of candidates. Whenever vacancies exist, the Commission shall submit to the Mayor and Council a panel of three names of qualified persons as nominees for appointment as judge of the Kansas City Municipal Division. The panel shall be submitted within sixty days of the date a vacancy arises.

(2)

Removal of judges. The Commission may commence removal proceedings under the provisions of this Charter against any judge of the Kansas City Municipal Division.

(c)

Membership of the Commission.

(1)

Chair of the Commission. The chair of the Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission shall be the presiding judge of the Circuit Court of the county in which the largest portion of the City exists. Should that person refuse to serve, the Mayor shall appoint a person to serve.

(2)

Attorney members. The members of the bar of the State of Missouri residing within the corporate limits of Kansas City shall elect two of their number who are residents within the corporate limits of the City, to serve as members of the Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission. The Council shall provide the procedures for the election of the two lawyer members.

(3)

Non-attorney members. The Mayor shall appoint two citizens not admitted to practice law before the courts of this state from residents within the corporate limits of the City.

(4)

Political affiliation. Such appointments and elections by the members of the bar shall be in a manner that the non-lawyer members shall not belong to the same political party, and the lawyer members shall not belong to the same political party.

(5)

Public offices. No member of the Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission, except the chair, shall hold any public office or office in a political party or organization.

(d)

Term. Membership on the Commission shall be for a term of four years, and each of the Commissioners shall hold office for the term of office until the Commissioners successor assumes their position. The City Council shall issue commissions to the members of the Commission designating the term of service.

(e)

No compensation. Commissioners shall serve without compensation.

(f)

Vacancies. In case of a vacancy occurring on the Commission for any reason, it shall be filled by appointment or election for the unexpired term in the same manner as in the case of original election or appointment as hereinbefore provided.

(g)

Disqualification to serve as judge of the Kansas City Municipal Division. No member of the Commission shall be eligible for appointment to the Kansas City Municipal Division during service on the Commission and for three years thereafter.

(h)

Actions of the Commission. The Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission may act only by the concurrence of a majority of its members.