A vacant position in Jefferson County’s 23rd Judicial Circuit has been filled, and as a result, another one has opened up.
Gov. Mike Parson’s office announced Jan. 27 that he had appointed Shannon Dougherty to fill the Div. 6 circuit judgeship that had been empty since Dec. 31, when longtime jurist Troy Cardona retired.
Cardona’s departure made Dougherty, who has been the associate circuit judge for Div. 15, the longest-tenured member of Jefferson County’s court system. Dougherty, like Cardona, was first elected in 2006.
Dougherty, 50, of Dittmer was chosen from five applicants, a spokesperson for Parson’s office said.
The day after her appointment Dougherty said she hadn’t yet talked with Jefferson County Presiding Judge Brenda Stacey to learn what her new docket might look like.
“Associate judges handle misdemeanor criminal cases and circuit judges handle felonies, and associate judges hear civil cases where the amount in dispute is less than $25,000, and circuit judges hear the cases where it’s more than $25,000,” Dougherty said.
She said she didn’t anticipate a need to change anything about the way she handles cases.
“We’re all here to serve,” she said. “Every case is important to the people who are appearing in front of you.”
Dougherty said she remembered when she was first elected to the bench in 2006, she joined a group of veteran judges whom she had appeared before from her days as an attorney.
“I looked at all those judges who had been there a long time and were respected throughout the county, and Judge Cardona and I were just joining them,” she said. “It was exciting.”
She said she imagines the relative newcomers to the circuit have similar thoughts when they join now-seasoned judges like herself.
“I hope so,” she said. “But being a judge isn’t about how long you’re around in and of itself, and it’s not just about knowing what the law says. It’s about institutional knowledge, how we approach certain things and why we do the things we do.”
Dougherty, a Grandview High School graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Missouri in Columbia and a law degree from St. Louis University, served as a probation and parole officer from 1995 to 2001 and then worked for five years in the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“I’ve always had a desire to be a public servant,” she said, “whether it was as a parole and probation officer or a prosecutor. Being a judge seemed to be the next step for that. I’m very appreciative to be a part of a system that helps people.”
Dougherty said during her 16 years in Div. 15, she’s most proud of helping to establish a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in Jefferson County, an organization that advocates for abused, neglected or abandoned children who are dependents of the juvenile court.
“I and (retired Circuit) Judge (Darrell Missey) worked with the people from CASA, and I think that’s made a big difference in our county,” she said.
Dougherty said she has a special heart for family court, juvenile court and treatment court dockets.
“I’ve heard all kinds of cases, but those are the cases I’ve liked because you’re helping people to make their lives a little better,” she said.
Dougherty said she also enjoys speaking to groups such as the Family Violence Council and the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association.
Among her memberships are the Circuit Court Budget Committee, the Jefferson County Republican Committee and the Missouri National Guard Association Auxiliary.
“I want to thank Gov. Parson for this appointment,” she said. “I’m very grateful and humble. I also thank all the people who have supported me throughout the years. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Dougherty said with the transition from associate to circuit judge, she won’t even have to move courtrooms.
“That will make it much easier,” she said. “I’m staying where I am.”
Dougherty, who ran unopposed for a new four-year term for the Div. 15 associate judgeship in November 2022, will serve as the Div. 6 circuit judge until the end of 2024, when Cardona’s six-year circuit judge term will expire.
As of Monday, Jan. 30, Parson’s office had not yet posted the Div. 15 vacancy on the state’s website ( boards.mo.gov ).
Under state law, circuit court judges are paid a $159,578 annual salary while associate circuit judges earn $146,812 a year.
Dougherty and her husband, Christopher Monester, have a daughter.