Voters who cast Republican ballots in the Aug. 2 primary election will choose the party’s nominee for associate circuit judge from Division 13.
That spot had been held by Patricia Riehl, who was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to the Div. 5 bench late last year to succeed Lisa Page, who was appointed to the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals.
Nixon then appointed Travis Partney, a former assistant prosecutor with the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, to the Div. 13 judgeship until an election could be held.
Partney is running unopposed in the Democratic Party’s primary to keep the job.
He will face one of three Republicans in the Nov. 8 general election: Tony Dorsett, Trisha C. Stefanski and Katherine Hardy Senkel.
Associate circuit judges are paid $135,059 a year.
The winner will serve the final two years of Riehl’s four-year term.
DORSETT, 34, lists his address as P.O. Box 440 in Hillsboro. He and his wife, Michelle, have one child. He is a partner in the law firm of Schnaare and Dorsett P.C., in Hillsboro. He formerly worked for the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office in Jackson, Miss. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University with an emphasis in law enforcement and a doctorate of jurisprudence from Mississippi College School of Law. He was a member of the Jefferson County Housing Task Force and has contributed legal advice to the Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity organization.
Social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/tonydorsettforjudge
STEFANSKI, 41, lives in 38 San Marino Parkway in Fenton. She and her husband, Patrick Christopher, have four children combined. She is an assistant Jefferson County prosecuting attorney who received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Missouri State University and attended the St. Louis University School of Law’s evening program. She has been coordinator and fundraising co-chairperson of the Meramec Sharks Hockey Team and she has chaired Bunco game fundraisers for Holy Child School in Arnold since 2013.
Social media: Website: StefanskiforJudge.com Facebook: Trisha Stefanski for Judge Twitter: Skifor13
SENKEL, 46, lives at 1226 Paulanna Estates Drive in the Festus area. She and her husband, David, have two daughters. She is an attorney at the Hardy Law Firm in Farmington. She is a former municipal prosecutor and served as an assistant to U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson in 1992 and as an intern to state Rep. and majority floor leader Bob Ward in 1991. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Westminster College and a law degree from the Mississippi College School of Law. She serves on the board of directors from Comtrea and was a member of the advisory board for the Jefferson County Family YMCA from 2007-2010.
Social media: Website: KathyHardySenkelforJudge.com Facebook: KathyHardySenkelforJudge (Facebook)
What training and experiences have equipped you for this position?
Dorsett: I have successfully appealed cases to the Mississippi Supreme Court and Missouri Court of Appeals. My law firm maintains a general practice. If you have a legal issue, more than likely I have handled a case similar to yours. At least 75 percent of my law practice is before the associate circuit courts in Jefferson County, including family law (divorces, child custody, child support, adoptions and name changes), landlord-tenant issues, tort law, contract law, collections, driver’s license and insurance, mechanic’s liens, small claims, traffic tickets, unlawful detainer and foreclosure and associate criminal law (including felony preliminary hearings).
Stefanski: I do not think there has been a time since I was 16 that I did not have a job or two. My employment experiences have helped me as a prosecutor to determine which defendants have truly made a mistake and those who do not care about the community. Whether it is handling family law, small claims or a criminal matter, it is important that a judge also be able to see these things in people to make a fair assessment. My caseload of more than 450 files means that I am efficient and organized. I have tried both criminal and civil trials. There is not a task that I would ask someone to do that I would not do myself.
Senkel: As a trial attorney, I have represented thousands of clients across Missouri in regard to family law, adoption, custody, guardian ad litem, criminal, workers compensation, personal injury, real estate and a multitude of other legal matters. I have represented children in juvenile cases and divorce and abused children in the foster care system. I was in the first class of the Leadership Academy of the Missouri Bar, which centered on women and outstate attorneys gaining leadership positions within the bar.
What is your assessment of the workload for circuit judges in Jefferson County?
Dorsett: The workload is at an all-time high. There was a three-month period in which we did not have a circuit judge sitting in Div. 5. This created multiple caseload shifts by the presiding judge, amplified by the shuffling of judges. Some of my circuit cases bounced around to three or four judges within months. Right now, five of the six associate circuit judges primarily practiced criminal law before becoming associate judges. Only one mostly practiced civil law, and that was primarily family law. My diverse background in civil, criminal, family and real estate law will help our circuit as I can take over many of the non-criminal associate cases.
Stefanski: The circuit tries as best it can to assign cases according to each judge’s strengths. As the narcotics prosecutor for eight of my nine years, I have interacted with every judge in the circuit. I often appear in front of four or five of the judges in one week; sometimes in one day. If I am elected, I would gladly handle any caseload that is thrown my way. Knowing how it feels to be expected in several courtrooms at once, I also would do my best to alternate docket dates with other divisions so that attorneys can get to where they need to be to keep the judicial process moving.
Senkel: The judicial workload is substantial, both in number and complexity of cases, but is equitably allocated because of the significant efforts of the judges to assure timely and effective attention and progress of each case. So long as the judges continue this time-honored practice, no significant changes are needed.
Should Jefferson County's circuit and associate circuit judges continue to be elected in partisan elections? Why or why not?
Dorsett: Yes. It wasn’t a problem over the last 30 years when the Democrats were in control of this county; why is it a problem now? Probably because the Democrats are losing power and this is their last grasp at trying to control the judiciary or retain political influence. Voters should be able to tell whether they are voting for a potential liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican. I am proud to display the Republican “R” beside my name.
Stefanski: No. Unfortunately, the general public does not take as much interest in judicial elections as it does in other elections. Come election time, this leads to people voting out judges who are fair, just and great for our community just because of the letter behind their name. A judge is someone who may decide what gets awarded in a settlement, whether a family gets to adopt a baby, which evidence is allowed in a case and the type of punishment someone may receive. Therefore, it is important that voters are able to look beyond the party lines, put the candidates side by side and evaluate them on their demeanor and experience.
Senkel: As set forth in Canon 4 of the Missouri Code of Judicial Conduct, a candidate for judicial office “shall not make pledges or promises of conduct in office other than the faithful and impartial performance of the duties of the office.” In a partisan election, the platform of a political party could be mistakenly viewed as a “promise” on behalf of the judicial candidate; and, further, that litigants appearing before that judge, if elected, would expect rulings based upon a political agenda.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Dorsett: I have the necessary appellate, criminal, and civil experience to provide the constitutional protection to Jefferson County residents that they deserve. I have been told by other attorneys (whom I have practiced against) that I would make a fair and impartial judge based on my attitude and knowledge of the law. My No. 1 goal is to be the most educated judge on the bench by putting in the time and effort to read every pleading and motion that comes across my desk. I understand that many people have to take off work to come to court; therefore, continuances should be granted sparingly. The quicker a case can be resolved, the better it is to the litigants and the court system.
Stefanski: For more than nine years, I have had the important job of protecting Jefferson County as an assistant prosecuting attorney and voters should elect me because I am passionate about this. As a prosecutor, I have been in the majority of the courtrooms. All too often I see victims who sit for hours waiting for their cases to be heard. If elected, I would make every effort to hear cases with victims first. I would also set a goal to get out into the community and help educate the public on the judicial process. Over my 17 years of legal experience, I have found that many people do not understand the legal process. A well-informed community makes well-informed voters.
Senkel: For over two decades I have represented children, parents, seniors and individuals from all over the state, appearing front of approximately 60 different judges. If elected, no case, either civil or criminal, would come before me that I haven’t already handled in private practice. Further, I would bring a commitment of hard work, fairness and justice on behalf of all individuals appearing before me. In addition, while maintaining the decorum and respect essential for the courts in our judicial system, I would also give similar respect to the individuals appearing before me, including the furtherance of their understanding of the legal system in which they find themselves.