News Releases

St. Louis County Circuit Court 105 South Central Avenue Clayton, Missouri 63105   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Associate Circuit Judge John R. Essner Dies at 69 CLAYTON, MO – August 17, 2020 – Judge John R. Essner died Friday, August 14, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He was 69. Judge Essner was appointed Associate Circuit Judge in 1999 by Gov. Mel Carnahan. He graduated with B.A. cum laude from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1973, and obtained his law degree cum laude from St. Louis University School of Law in 1976. For more than twenty years, Judge Essner…

St. Louis County Circuit Court 105 South Central Avenue Clayton, Missouri 63105   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE St. Louis County Circuit Court Returns to “Operating Phase Zero” Due to COVID-19 CLAYTON, MO – July 23, 2020 – The St. Louis County Circuit Court is returning to “Operating Phase Zero,” restricting public access to the courthouse after several employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The decision by Presiding Judge Michael D. Burton means that, for the next two weeks, all in-person proceedings will be rescheduled and grand jury proceedings will be postponed. However, the courts are not closed, Judge Burton emphasized. Court…

St. Louis County Circuit Court 105 South Central Avenue Clayton, Missouri 63105   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Catherine Keefe Selected as St. Louis Family Court Commissioner CLAYTON, MO – July 23, 2020 – Catherine Ward Keefe has been selected by the judges of the St. Louis County Circuit Court to serve as a St. Louis Family Court Commissioner, starting Aug. 14, 2020. Keefe replaces former Commissioner Heather R. Cunningham, who was appointed as an Associate Circuit Judge by Gov. Mike Parson in March. Keefe is a family law attorney practicing in St. Louis County. She has handled all types of family…