St. Louis County Courts Division 3
Circuit Judge
Family Court Administrative Judge
Courtroom: 102
Floor: 1 South
Clerk:
Adam
Court Reporter:
Denise Ballard
Bailiff:
Bart Masters
Phone: 314-615-1503
Fax: 314-615-8280
Honorable
Sandra Farragut-Hemphill
Family Court
Sandra Farragut-Hemphill was appointed circuit judge in January of 2016 by Gov. Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon.
Judge Farragut-Hemphill received her Bachelor of Science degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, and her law degree from the University of Florida School of Law in Gainesville.
From 1979 through 1981, she worked at the Jacksonville, FL, Legal Aid Society. In 1982 she moved to St. Louis and was admitted to the Missouri Bar and the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. She worked as a staff attorney at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri from 1983 through 1986.
Judge Farragut-Hemphill served as an assistant county counselor for St. Louis County from 1986 to 1988. From 1988 until her appointment as an associate circuit judge in 1991, Judge Farragut-Hemphill was a partner at the law firm of Cahill, White and Hemphill. She was an adjunct professor at the Washington University School of Law and St. Louis University School of Law.
In March of 1998, Judge Farragut-Hemphill was elected President of the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges. She is a former board member of the Matthews-Dickey Boys' & Girls' Club and the Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis. She is a member of the Missouri Bar, National Bar Association, Mound City Bar Association, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Women Lawyers' Association, St. Louis County Bar Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and The Links, Inc.
Judge Farragut-Hemphill lives in St. Louis County. She has two children.
1. ADOPTIONS: GENERAL INFORMATION Effective January 1, 2019 attorneys shall not be permitted to set an adoption matter for hearing unless the following procedures, if applicable are completed:
A. The Circuit Clerk has set an initial hearing on the matter AND a GAL has been appointed
B. Consent by both parents has been obtained
C. Service and/or publication is completed
D. CD subsidy has been approved and allocated
E. TPR is completed
F. Putative Father registry information is filed
G. CAN check completed and filed
H. Criminal background check completed and filed
2. VIDEO ADOPTIONS: Effective January 1, 2019 Division 3 will begin conducting adoption hearings by video. Any request for a video adoption hearing shall comply with the following policies and procedures: A. Petitioners must reside more than 250 miles from Clayton, Missouri. B. Petitioner's attorney shall file with the division clerk a request for a video adoption hearing no later than 30 days prior to the requested hearing date. Failure to do so in a timely manner will result in the parties having to appear in person. C. All requests for a video adoption hearing shall be for the Petitioners only. D. Petitioners shall be solely responsible for facilitating a video connection with Division 3 on the date of the hearing. Petitioners shall contact the courts IT department for information on properly making a video connection with Div. 3. E. Petitioners shall at the time of their request for a video adoption hearing file with the court an Affidavit stating: a. The residency of Petitioner's b. That Petitioners meet the 250 mile radius from Clayton, Missouri as set forth above. c. A statement of good cause as why they are unable to appear in person for the adoption hearing. F. Petitioner's attorney shall not set a video adoption for hearing if the criteria set forth for all adoptions has not been completed.
3. ADOPTION JUDGMENTS FOR DIV. 3: Effective January 1, 2019 attorneys are requested to use the following forms for a Judgment and Decree of Adoption.
a. Judgment and Decree of Adoption (standard, step-parent and child over 14 years of age)
b. Judgment and Decree of Adoption (Adult)
c. Judgment and Decree of Recognition of Adoption of Child In Foreign Country