ST. LOUIS – The Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission announced the panel of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Eric Greitens to fill the circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis County created by the retirement of Judge Barbara W. Wallace as circuit judge.
Those nominated by the commission are:
Matthew H. Hearne – Hearne graduated from Hillsdale College in 1989 and from University of Toledo College of Law in 1992. He is currently an attorney at Hearne & Bendick LLC.
Bruce F. Hilton – Hilton graduated from St. Louis University in 1980 and from St. Louis University School of Law in 1986. He is currently an attorney at the Hilton Family Law Group LLC.
Mary E. Ott – Ott graduated from St. Mary’s College in 1982 and from St. Louis University School of Law in1985. She is currently an associate circuit judge in St. Louis County.
The commission conducted two days of public interviews and interviewed 38 applicants. The commission believes that these candidates, chosen from a field of extremely qualified individuals, possess those qualities essential to the fair and efficient administration of justice. The commission is confident that all of these individuals are capable of serving well and honorably if selected by the governor. Pursuant to Supreme Court of Missouri Rule 10.29, the commission reports the final votes received by each nominee were: Hearne received four votes, Hilton received three votes, and Ott received five votes.
The members of the Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission are: Judge Philip M. Hess, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District; Matthew J. Rossiter, Christy Bertelson, Jeffrey D. Sigmund, and Tiffany Mapp Franklin.
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Update: The governor on June 1, 2017, appointed Bruce Hilton to fill this vacancy.
Note: Links to nominees' applications typically are disabled after the governor makes his appointment.
Contact: Laura Roy, clerk of court
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District
(314) 539-4300