JEFFERSON CITY — An Atchison County associate judge — one of three nominees to fill a vacancy on the Missouri Supreme Court — will meet with Gov. Matt Blunt this afternoon.

An Appellate Judicial Commission chose Judge Zel M. Fischer in August as a potential replacement for outgoing Justice Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. Judge Lisa White Hardwick and Judge Ronald Holliger are the other nominees for the position. Mr. Fischer and Mr. Blunt — who will appoint the successor — meet at 3 p.m. as part of a process to assess qualifications and experience.

Members of the gubernatorial staff held initial interviews of the candidates in September. Besides their necessary legal backgrounds, the candidates had to field a series of questions on their views and how they would approach an appointment to the court. The answers were released Monday.

“The trial judge has discretion to not permit coverage if under the circumstances of a particular case the coverage would interfere with the parties’ right to a fair trial,” Mr. Fischer said regarding the issue of cameras in the courtroom.

Regarding compensation for judges, he replied that pay should be fair and factor in the cost of living. A pay disparity between associate and circuit judges, however, is still an issue.

“If funds are available, this compensation gap is worth addressing,” he said.

In Mr. Fischer’s opinion, the most significant issue facing the state’s courts is ensuring the timely resolution of cases in circuits that do not have enough judges for the caseload.

“I firmly believe the Supreme Court needs to make every effort using current (constitutional) resources and powers to use temporary judicial transfers to solve this problem if possible,” he said.

Mr. Fischer, 45, was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1988.

He clerked with the Missouri Supreme Court after completing studies at the University of Missouri School of Law in Kansas City. He has argued two Supreme Court cases and has argued numerous cases in the Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri.

He was in private practice from 1992 to 2006 for Atchison, Nodaway and Holt counties. He was elected judge in November 2006.

Mr. Blunt has 60 days from the date of the recommendations to make his appointment.

Ray Scherer can be reached

at rscherer@npgco.com.