29 June 2023

ST. LOUIS – Judge Kelly Broniec of Montgomery City has been elected chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, by unanimous vote of the judges of the court. Her one-year term begins July 1, 2023. The chief judge is the chief administrative officer of the court, presides at court en banc meetings and represents the court to the public.  

Governor Michael L. Parson appointed Broniec to the Eastern District in October 2020. She received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from William Woods College in Fulton and her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After graduating from law school, she worked in private practice and as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Warren and Lincoln counties. She was prosecuting attorney for Montgomery County from 1999 to 2006.  In 2006, she was elected associate circuit judge for Montgomery County and was reelected in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Broniec has been very active with legal and civic organizations. Her memberships include the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges (past president), and the Council of Chief Judges of State Courts of Appeal. She also serves on several Supreme Court committees and is a member of the Montgomery City Kiwanis Club, the Montgomery City Chamber of Commerce and sits on the church council at Grace Lutheran Church. 

“It is a great honor to serve as chief judge of the Eastern District,” Broniec said. “I look forward to leading this Court as we continue our 148-year tradition in the rule of law and in upholding our constitutional responsibilities. We will continue our public outreach with numerous special dockets throughout the Eastern District. I look forward to carrying out my responsibilities under the nonpartisan court plan as chair of the two circuit court judicial commissions in our district. Finally, I am also proud to once again follow in the footsteps of Judge Roy Richter, the last judge from Montgomery County to serve as chief judge of the Eastern District.”

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 but regularly holds sessions at various locations throughout the district. 

Contact: Laura Thielmeier Roy, clerk of court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300