How are judges appointed under the Missouri Plan?

The Missouri Plan (formerly: Missouri NonPartisan Court Plan) is a judicial selection process used by certain States in the US. The Plan combines an appointment process with the popular vote.

Under the Plan, a selection committee provides the Governor of the state with the names of three candidates for office. If the Governor selects one of the candidates within 60 days, that person is appointed to the bench one year; otherwise, the committee makes the selection and appointment.

After a year, the justice runs unopposed on the next general election ballot. If the voters approve his or her retention, then the justice serves the number of years specified for the position in that state's constitution. If the voters oppose retention, the selection process starts over.

Twelve states currently use the Missouri Plan to fill appeals-level judicial vacancies:

# Alaska # Arkansas # Colorado # Indiana # Iowa # Kansas # Missouri # Nebraska # Oklahoma # Utah # Wyoming

Tennessee, Florida and California use individual variations on the Plan.