DECISION SUMMARY: Liability insurance is a lawful expenditure of the circuit court, payable by the county. Thus, Petitioner legally obligated to provide funds for liability insurance for the judges of the 21st circuit and the funding does not violate the Hancock amendment, article X, section 21, Mo. Const. Allocation of additional travel funds for an individual judge above and beyond the circuit court’s en banc allocation is unnecessary.

DISSENTS: The funding request for liability insurance constitutes an increase in the county’s level of activity or service and is thereby prohibited by the Hancock amendment, article X, section 21, Mo. Const. Individual judge's request for travel expenses for judicial education is reasonable and necessary in his divisional budget.

View the full text of the decision for 83-0002, St. Louis County v. Twenty-First Judicial Circuit.

NOTE: The Supreme Court of Missouri reviewed this decision in In re 1983 Budget for Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Mo., 665 S.W.2d 943 (Mo. banc 1984).