William Ray Price Jr.’s two-year term as Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court ends today.
He spent his last full day in charge talking to reporters about several topics, including the need to fund the state’s drug courts. Price says that drugs are the “leading, driving force” behind crime nationwide.
“We have fought a war on drugs for 30 or 40 years, and have not done a good job on it, fighting the supply side," Price told reporters. "What we have to focus on is fighting the demand side, helping people overcome their addictions and returning to normal life.”
Price also talked about how ongoing budget cuts are making it harder to operate Missouri’s judicial system.
“We’ve cut back on personnel, we’ve cut back on education, we’ve cut back on automation, we’ve cut back on those things," Price said. "(If we have) much more (of that), it will start affecting our ability to timely process people’s lawsuits.”
Price will remain on Missouri’s High Court as he hands the gavel over tomorrow (Friday) to fellow Supreme Court Judge Richard Teitelman.