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The Missouri Coordinating Commission for Judicial Department Education was established by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri June 24, 1998. The commission is chaired by a judge of the Supreme Court. Additional members include representative judges from the court of appeals and the circuit courts (including the municipal division), a juvenile officer, a circuit clerk and a court reporter. This membership includes all chair positions from the various education committees who operate under the auspices of the commission.

The Supreme Court charges the commission with the responsibility to set policy for judicial education. The commission is directly responsible for:

• Establishing policy for judicial education;

• Supervising the various education subcommittees to ensure that proper education objectives are established and strategies for achieving the objectives are developed;

• Allocating funds to the various education subcommittees and to other entities necessary to achieve the education objectives that are established;

• Counseling and advising education management to ensure the commission’s policies are being properly implemented; and

• Resolving any conflicts as to priorities or resource needs presented by education management.

The commission is accountable for and provides overall governance of judicial education. As such, the commission functions much like a board of directors - its role is to govern rather than manage. Management focuses on detail; governance focuses on organizational values and long-range plans. The education committees and judicial education staff implement the commission’s values and plans within established limitations, as set forth by the commission.