28 June 2021

ST. LOUIS – Judge Mary Kathryn Hoff, the current chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, announced she will retire effective August 2, 2021. Hoff was appointed to the court in 1995 by the late Governor Mel Carnahan and has served the Eastern District for more than 25 years. She previously served as chief judge from July 2000 through June 2001. To succeed Hoff as chief judge, the Eastern District judges unanimously electedJudge Sherri Sullivan for a term beginning July 1, 2021. Like Hoff, Sullivan’s election marks the second time she has served as chief judge, her prior term being from July 2003 through June 2004. The chief judge is the chief administrative officer of the court, presides at court en banc meetings and represents the court to the public.

As both women reflected on these changes, they noted their intertwined lives. Both grew up in large families in St. Louis, attending Catholic grade schools and all-female high schools. Both graduated from Saint Louis University Law School. While Hoff worked as a public defender, Sullivan worked in the circuit attorney’s office, and they tried criminal cases against each other. In 1989, then- John Ashcroft appointed Hoff as a circuit judge and Sullivan as an associate circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis city).  The late Governor Mel Carnahan appointed both women to the appellate bench – Hoff in 1995 and Sullivan in 1999.

“I am so grateful that I have shared so many important legal and life experiences together with her through these many, many years,” Hoff said. “I know = the court is in the best of hands, those of my dear friend, Judge Sullivan.”  Hoff noted that they watched their children grow up together, attended judicial conferences together, and traveled together in the United States and abroad.

Sullivan echoed her friend’s sentiments and said, “I have been very fortunate to serve all these years with Judge Hoff, who is not just a colleague but my dear and trusted friend. Our legal careers have followed similar paths and we’ve shared many challenges and joys along the way. It’s bittersweet that she is retiring. After 32 years of dedicated service, she so deserves to start a new chapter in her life. The court will miss her, and I will personally miss her dearly. She is a great judge, role model and a wonderful human being. I am honored to follow in her footsteps as chief judge.”

Over the years, both women have been active in the St. Louis community. Hoff has been active in The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Women Lawyer’s Association of Greater St. Louis (past president, President’s Award in 2008) and the National Association of Women Judges. Hoff has been active on numerous Supreme Court of Missouri committees, including serving as chair of the Appellate Education Committee since 1997. She was inducted into the SLU Law Order of Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame in 2016 and recently was named a 2021 honoree of the Women’s Justice Awards. Sullivan also has been active in The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Women Lawyer’s Association of Greater St. Louis and the National Association of Women Judges. In addition, she is a member of the American Bar Association, the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and the St. Louis Forum. 

As she begins her term as chief judge, Sullivan noted, “The pandemic made it extremely challenging for the court to operate. With the dedication and hard work of outstanding staff, our court continued to timely process and hear cases via teleconference and video conference and render timely opinions. We’re looking forward to emerging from the pandemic, reopening the court to the public and holding in-person oral arguments with a focus on the safety of all participants.

“Personally I will strive to fill the shoes of three chief judges who guided the court during the pandemic with their outstanding leadership and service, Judges Colleen Dolan, Robert Dowd Jr. and Mary K. Hoff,” Sullivan continued. “Clearly I don’t have enough feet, but I will give it my best.” 

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, hears appeals from the trial courts in 25 counties in eastern Missouri and the city of St. Louis. It is the largest court in the state appellate system. The court is located in the historic Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis.  

 

Contact: Laura Roy, clerk of court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300