Thanks to the enthusiastic participation of many St. Louis Metro League members who attended our March 29 meeting on the LWVUS judiciary study, we were one of 321 Leagues nationwide that submitted our input on what a proposed national position should include. Members from 45 states and the District of Columbia participated in the study and submitted their local League’s input on proposed statements of principle. At the LWVUS Council meeting in late June, a formal LWVUS position statement was adopted.

All League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis members are automatically members of the League of Women Voters of the United States and League of Women Voters of Missouri.

The position is not yet included in the “Impact on Issues,” the usual compendium of national League positions, but you may read it now to see how our Metro St. Louis input coincided with the national consensus. Read the new U.S. judiciary position here.

For the benefit of newer League members and our friends in the community, the purpose of a national study, leading to the adoption of a position, is to set the stage for future calls to action as issues surrounding the federal judiciary are discussed and debated. This position, like most before it, is not specific to current controversies, such as ethical issues pertaining to Supreme Court Justices and other federal judges in 2025.  However, the position provides the general framework guiding the national board and other leaders in how the League membership would like our views to be reflected in LWVUS actions.

Both ethical challenges and the growing and concerning use of the Supreme Court’s "shadow docket," which is lacking in transparency, make this new position very timely. Anticipate the need to express your views about the Supreme Court’s conduct beginning with the Court’s next term.

If you missed the study materials and the local meeting on the proposed elements of the consensus, the judiciary study materials are still available on the LWVUS website.