Blunt appoints another big contributor to key position

Governor Matt Blunt appointed the Donald Ross, 63, the president of Enterprise Rent-a-Car to the seven-members Appellate Judicial Commission today. The appointment did not create much of a fuss since few pay attention to the committee, which submits three nominees any time a vacancy occurs on the state Supreme Court or on one of the three regional appellate courts.

Blunt gave the following endorsement of his nominee, according to an Associated Press article:

"He's somebody who understands business and how important it is to have a fair legal system for businesses to thrive and grow and employ more Missourians," Blunt said. "Don understands that judges should be people that try to interpret the law and adjudicate the cases, not people that legislate from the bench."

Blunt failed to mention another key credential that appears to be weighed every time he makes an appointment- Ross contributed the maximum amount to the governor's campaign in 2003, 2004, and 2005, a total of $5,575, while people listing connections to Enterprise Rent-a-Car contributed just under $20,000 to the governor in 2004 alone.