I recently watched a political debate between incumbent Jefferson County Div. 3 Circuit Court Judge Dianna Bartels and Travis Partney, one of her challengers in the Aug. 2 Republican primary election.
Bartels’ performance was so troubling, I felt compelled to write this column and urge countians to vote for Partney of Imperial, the county’s first assistant prosecuting attorney, who has both the experience and qualifications for the job.
Michelle Hughes of High Ridge also is challenging Bartels in the race, but Hughes didn’t take part in the debate and didn’t return a Voters Guide survey the Leader sent to candidates, so I don’t know much about her.
No Democrats are running for the six-year term as Div. 3 circuit judge, so the top vote-getter in the Republican race will get the job, which pays $159,578 a year.
Bartels, who lives in Arnold, also didn’t return the Leader candidate survey, and she didn’t respond to my requests for her to comment for this column.
Ever since Bartels won the Div. 3 circuit judge election in 2016, unseating Nathan Stewart, a Democrat, we in the Leader newsroom have heard rumors that Bartels is ill suited to hold the job, and her performance in the debate didn’t dispel those claims.
She struggled to remain on track and often spoke incoherently. While explaining her qualifications, she spent a lot of time talking about how she likes to compliment those who come before her in court, saying she might tell a woman she likes her dress, hairstyle or nails.
I recently sat in on one of Bartels’ traffic dockets, and she did compliment one of the defendants who appeared before her, telling the woman she loved her name.
After arriving eight minutes late to court that morning, Bartels instructed the handful of people waiting to have their cases heard not to yell at her or the bailiff or anyone else in the courtroom.
The docket was a light one, and Bartels completed it without too much trouble, although at times she appeared lost, staring blankly at defendants and shuffling papers back and forth.
During his debate with Bartels, Partney spent a good deal of time talking about how the Jefferson County court system is suffering because not all the circuit judges are pulling their weight.
He didn’t name Bartels specifically, but when he talked about circuit judges who were handling traffic cases rather than criminal cases and other higher-level cases, it was clear he was referring to her.
Also during the debate, Partney urged those watching to do their own research to find out more about those seeking judgeships, urging them to talk to lawyers, law enforcement officers and Jefferson County Courthouse employees.
”Don’t take my word for anything that I am telling you,” he said. “Ask them.”
So that’s what I did.
According to the current county Circuit Court judge assignment order, Bartels handles traffic cases, probate cases involving the Public Administrator’s Office and Festus Municipal Court cases, the kinds of cases typically handled by associate circuit judges, who are paid significantly less than circuit judges.
That judge assignment order was put in place in December 2020, under former Presiding Judge Darrell Missey, a Republican who served on the bench for 19 years before stepping down in December 2021 to become director of Missouri’s Children’s Division.
Missey said he tried to give Bartels some cases typically assigned to circuit judges, but she had trouble handling them, so he had to change assignments.
“She came in not having much experience, and we had a conversation about what she could do,” he said. “She indicated she had no experience in criminal (cases) and some in civil and had worked at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office but couldn’t identify any types of cases she had tried.
“So her original assignment was a circuit judge assignment that included civil and domestic (divorce and custody) cases, and we tried for years to have those cases assigned to her, but we had many, many disqualifications.
“Lawyers have 30 days to disqualify a judge, which basically means they say, ‘I will take any judge except for this one.’ So, we got many of those (disqualifications).
“She attempted to try civil jury trials and had many mistrials, and I heard many concerns from lawyers about her abilities to do the work. We had similar experiences with domestic cases. After years of experiencing that, I decided it was best for the Circuit to give her an assignment that did not require as much experience, where the stakes were not as high.”
Missey said after he changed the judge assignment order to accommodate Bartels’ shortcomings, other modifications were made.
At one point she also was assigned cases from the Festus, De Soto and Hillsboro municipal courts, but the De Soto and Hillsboro cases eventually were reassigned to other judges.
Missey said he believes county residents would be better served by a different judge in Div. 3.
“The burden on the civil docket and every other Circuit division is heavier as a consequence of us not having a functioning circuit judge in Div. 3,” he said. “I did not think she was an appropriate selection for circuit judge in the first place and that’s where we still are. The people of Jefferson County have got to do something different.
“People need to be careful when choosing a judge. They need to look at their experience and qualifications and not their political party and not what their billboard says. You should hire a judge like you choose a doctor or a mechanic or anyone who needs skill. You need someone who knows what they’re doing, and we haven’t had that since the beginning with her.”
Current Presiding Judge Brenda Stacey (Republican, Div. 4) said after she took over the lead spot, she kept the same judge assignment order in place and continued giving Bartels traffic cases and other lower-level cases to limit judge disqualifications.
She said excess disqualifications create problems for the Circuit.
“It affects the Circuit Clerk’s Office, it affects the other judges, and the numbers get skewed, so it’s not a fair assignment (or load of cases) anymore,” Stacey said. “Parties litigating cases have a right to have those cases litigated quickly, and when cases are reassigned, it delays that.”
Republican Mike Reuter, who has been the county circuit clerk for eight years and is seeking re-election, said Bartels’ assignment is unusual.
“Knowing the dockets, she would be the only circuit judge I’ve ever known who’s handling traffic tickets,” he said. “That’s usually an associate judge assignment. She handles very little other kinds of cases.”
Reuter said he’s also heard complaints about how Bartels handles traffic cases.
“Normally, on a traffic docket, you’re looking at maybe three to five minutes per defendant, and she can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes per person,” he said. “She allows a high number of continuances and there are a high number of reassignment of cases, so it seems like things just drag out. In Div. 3, there’s a backlog.”
Republican Trisha Stefanski, the county’s prosecuting attorney, said other circuit judges are overburdened because Bartels handles mostly traffic cases.
“Other judges are absorbing way more work,” she said.
Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak, also a Republican, said the court system has always moved slowly, but it doesn’t help when some people aren’t handling their fair share of work.
“We have a responsibility to be successful with our criminal docket, and it takes many parts working together to do that. It takes the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Circuit Clerk’s Office, the judges and the Sheriff’s Office,” he said. “Everyone has to work together to make it work, so it’s frustrating when they’re not.”
Stefanski and Marshak declined to discuss Bartels specifically.
The debates sponsored by the Jeffco Patriots political action committee, including the Bartels-Partney debate, may be viewed online by going to jeffcopatriots.com and clicking on the “Video Replays” link.
