6 October 2025
ST. LOUIS – Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 10.28(d), the Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission releases the following information relating to applicants for the circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis County created by the appointment of the Honorable Thomas C. Albus as Unites States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. There are 17 applicants, of whom nine indicate they are female and three report being minority applicants. Eight presently work in the private sector and nine are presently employed in the public sector. The applicants’ mean age is 49.47 years.
Also, pursuant to Rule 10.28(d), the commission announces it will interview all 17 applicants:
Teresa Bomkamp
Jason Denney
Chastidy Dillon-Amelung
Mondonna Ghasedi
William Halaz
Bridget Halquist
Susan Joste
Daniel Kertz
Nicolette Klapp
Julia Lasater
Curtis Niewald
Susan Petersen
Krista Peyton
Dean Plocher
Thomas Smith
Stephen Strum
Ryan Turnage
The commission expects to conduct public interviews for the Albus circuit judge vacancy beginning at 9 a.m., Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at the St. Louis County Court Building, 105 South Central, Room 380, in Clayton. Interviews will be open to the public, subject to available seating. Immediately after the interviews, the commission will meet to select three nominees for the governor’s consideration.
The members of the Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission are: Judge John P. Torbitzky, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, and chairperson of the commission; Chris Baechle; Matthew Reh, secretary of the commission; Michelle Spirn; and Kelly Wittenbrink.
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Contact: Morgan Coleman, clerk of the court
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District
(314) 539-4300