logo
Mo. Supreme Court Chief Justice calls for better juror pay

Mo. Supreme Court Chief Justice calls for better juror pay

Yahoo26-02-2025

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court expressed gratitude as she delivered the 2025 State of the Judiciary to a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly Wednesday.
Chief Justice Mary Russell told lawmakers that her 20 years on the bench has been 'something this northeast Missouri farm girl never thought possible, even in her wildest dreams.'
While mostly shying away from political issues, Russell did ask legislators to pass something: increased compensation for jurors.
'Last year, you considered changing jurors' compensation, in part by tying their mileage rate to that of state employees,' the chief justice said. 'This year, please send these changes to the governor's desk.'
'Doing so will demonstrate respect for our jurors,' she said.
No savings expected from nearly 40% of DOGE-canceled contracts
Russell's main theme circled back to the 'frontline heroes' of Missouri's court system.
'During this term as chief justice, my goal has been to visit all 46 judicial circuits,' she said. 'I've been to 36 so far, with just 10 to go.'
Russell said what she has learned is an overwhelming commitment to serve.
'In every county, work begins before the courts open,' she said. 'Staff show up early, unlocking doors, turning up the heat and quite a few times so far this year shoveling snow.'
She also praised the technology side of the courts.
'Your support allows us to continue providing the high level of online services Missourians expect and deserve,' Russell said.
She also encouraged lawmakers assembled as well as members of the public to participate in the process.
'Please go watch a court proceeding,' Russell said. 'Experience it first-hand and thank the court staff for all they do.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

House passes bill to claw back $9.4B, codify cuts to PBS and NPR
House passes bill to claw back $9.4B, codify cuts to PBS and NPR

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

House passes bill to claw back $9.4B, codify cuts to PBS and NPR

House Republicans narrowly passed a bill Thursday to cut $9.4 billion worth of federal spending, effectively codifying several actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The so-called rescissions package axes approximately $8.3 billion previously allocated to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which finances National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The 214-212 vote sends the measure to the Senate, where it will only need a simple majority to advance to President Trump's desk. 4 Rescission packages are a rarely used tool for Congress to cancel funding. Christopher Sadowski 4 DOGE has been combing through the federal government and looking for bloat and inefficiencies. AFP via Getty Images The rescissions package takes back funding that had been used for items such as an Iraqi version of 'Sesame Street' ($3 million), constructing 'Net Zero Cities' in Mexico ($6 million), and educating children on how to make environmentally friendly reproductive decisions ($2 million). A draft White House memo first reported by The Post in April said the rescissions would target 'waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending.' The memo, drafted by White House budget director Russ Vought — and requested by GOP congressional leaders — accused CPB of a 'lengthy history of anti-conservative bias.' The draft also notes that NPR CEO Katherine Maher once called Trump a 'fascist' and a 'deranged racist' — statements that Maher told Congress last month she now regrets making — and cites two recent PBS programs featuring transgender characters Republicans had faced backlash last month after tech mogul Elon Musk publicly backed complaints that Congress hadn't codified any of his DOGE work, despite promising to do so. That ultimately prompted GOP leadership to pledge to begin cementing his government efficiency initiatives into law. Rescissions only allow Congress to cancel funding that had previously been appropriated for fiscal year 2025, in keeping with the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. 4 Conservatives have long had their sights set on slashing PBS funding. Rafael Henrique – During his first term, Trump had only pursued one rescissions package totaling about $14.7 billion, which failed in the Senate by a 50-48 vote. Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush all declined to pursue rescissions packages, according to the Government Accountability Office. The effort comes amid heightened pressure from fiscal hawks to rein in government spending. Trump's marquee One Big Beautiful Bill Act features a net $1.25 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, per the Congressional Budget Office. 4 House Speaker Mike Johnson has championed the rescission package as a means of codifying the DOGE cuts. AP The cuts in the megabill come from mandatory spending, particularly Medicaid. The rescission package only applies to discretionary spending, which is about a quarter of government outlays. House Republicans had nestled a series of technical legislative fixes into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the lower chamber last month, into a procedural vote to advance the rescissions package Wednesday. The House's consideration of the rescission package comes in the wake of Musk's dramatic blowup against Trump last week amid his concerns about the deficit impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The megabill would add $3 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, according to a CBO estimate.

House GOP approves first batch of DOGE cuts
House GOP approves first batch of DOGE cuts

The Hill

timean hour ago

  • The Hill

House GOP approves first batch of DOGE cuts

House Republicans voted on Thursday to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid, locking in the first set of slashes made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The chamber approved the legislation — known as a rescissions package — in a 214-212 vote, greenlighting $9.4 billion in cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which DOGE went after earlier this year, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels dollars to NPR and PBS. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the package as a large step forward in the GOP's quest to bringing down the $36 trillion — and growing — deficit. 'Today's House passage of this initial rescissions package marks a critical step toward a more responsible and transparent government that puts the interests of the American taxpayers first,' Johnson said in a statement after the vote. 'It is just one of the ways Republicans are codifying DOGE's findings and putting taxpayer dollars to better use.' Despite the emphasis on the legislation, passage was not a sure thing: A handful of Republicans, largely moderates, voiced concerns with the package in the days leading up to the vote, taking issue with cuts to public broadcasting, slashes to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — first established during the George W. Bush administration — and the overall effort undermining Congress's authority. But in the end, only four GOP lawmakers joined all Democrats in voting 'no,' giving the package enough support to squeak through the chamber. The bill's fate in the Senate, however, remains unclear. A cohort of Republicans have aired qualms with some of the provisions in the measure — namely cuts to public broadcasting — prompting questions about whether the package will ever make it to President Trump's desk for signature. In accordance with the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the bill is subject to a simple majority in the Senate, meaning Republicans can only afford to lose three of their own and muscle it through the chamber, assuming all Democrats vote no. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the body is unlikely to turn to the issue until July, after the party finishes its work on its 'big, beautiful bill' of tax cuts and spending. 'We'll do reconciliation first so I would expect that rescissions package probably will be a July timeframe,' Thune said, adding that the Senate 'could' tweak parts of the legislation when it comes to their hands. For now, however, the successful vote marks a win for Johnson, who brought skeptical Republicans on board to pass the bill, and hardline conservatives, who upped the pressure on leadership to codify the DOGE cuts amid their deficit concerns. And it came at an interesting moment for the Republican Party: Trump and Elon Musk, the brainchild behind DOGE, had a fierce falling out last week, which began with the billionaire criticizing his marquee bill and quickly devolved into personal insults. The two have since begun showing signs of a potential détente. Musk earlier this week said he had 'regret' for some of his social media posts about Trump that 'went too far,' and the two spoke by phone, according to multiple reports. Trump is seeking to clawback $8.3 billion in foreign aid as part of the request, targeting dollars for items like migration and refugee assistance that the administration says support activities that 'could be more fairly shared with non-U.S. Government donors,' USAID efforts they say have been used to 'fund radical gender and climate projects,' and development assistance they argued 'conflict with American values' and 'interfere with the sovereignty of other countries,' among other rescissions. The administration also calls for eliminating funding for the United Nations Children's Fund, U.N. Development Program and the U.N. Population Fund under the proposal, as well as the World Health Organization and 'portions of the U.N. Regular Budget for the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.' The plan additionally calls for rescinding $535 million in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to NPR and PBS, in both fiscal 2026 and 2027. The proposed $1.1 billion clawback for public broadcasting funds has sparked concern from Republicans in both chambers, who have sounded alarm over what the cuts would mean for local stations and those in rural communities. However, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), a spending cardinal and co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, has pushed the administration to reconsider the proposed rescissions to public broadcasting programs. 'You ask yourself, well, is it easier for the national people to raise money, or is it easier for the affiliate in Reno or wherever?' Amodei said to reporters this week, while also saying, 'Of the total funding that was pre-funded for 26 and 27 we've been told 70 percent of that gets passed through to local TV stations.' Other Republicans, however, have suggested that lawmakers could make further changes to protect local stations after the bill passes if needed, and some have argued that stations could also raise funding from outside sources. While the special rescissions process has not been frequently used in the last two decades, Trump also tried to use the maneuver to yank back funds in his first term without success, despite Republicans having control of the House and Senate at the time. Republicans are optimistic history won't repeat itself as they navigate their first trifecta in years. '[Trump's] done this before, and they've got a great team, I think, in place,' House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said last week. 'They've thought about these things a lot in the time in between His first and his second term.' 'And there's no question, the President has much more influence inside the Republican Party than he had during his first term,' he added.

House Passes Musk's DOGE Cuts to PBS, NPR and Foreign Aid
House Passes Musk's DOGE Cuts to PBS, NPR and Foreign Aid

Bloomberg

timean hour ago

  • Bloomberg

House Passes Musk's DOGE Cuts to PBS, NPR and Foreign Aid

The US House approved $9.4 billion in Elon Musk's DOGE federal spending cuts, with Republican moderates swallowing their concerns about cutting previously approved spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The White House's spending cancellation package passed the House on a 214 to 212 vote. It faces a more uncertain future in the Senate where moderates have voiced opposition to some of the cuts and could strip them out of the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate may amend the package before it votes on it in July.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store