19 March 2010

ST. LOUIS – The Twenty-First Judicial Commission announced the panel of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Nixon to fill the circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis County created by the retirement of Judge Larry L. Kendrick. Those nominated by the commission are Bruce F. Hilton, Joseph L. Walsh III and John D. Warner Jr.

Hilton was born in 1957 in Detroit. He earned his bachelor of arts in history in 1980 from St. Louis University and his law degree in 1986 from St. Louis University School of Law. He is a managing partner with a family law litigation practice. He has had extensive jury and non-jury trials in St. Louis city and county as well as in Franklin, Jefferson and St. Charles counties; offers recurring services as a guardian ad litem in family law cases; and has briefed and argued dozens of appeals in the Missouri Court of Appeals. He is a member of The Missouri Bar, board of governors (1996 to 2007) and executive committee (2004 to 2005); Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis County Bar Association and the Lawyers Association. He is a member of Giant Steps (a school and resources for children with autism, past board member); Kirkwood Library (past board member); Heritage House (past board member); speaker, various CLE programs; coach, CYC soccer, baseball, basketball and volleyball; teacher of first grade religion class (8 years). He has been married 26 years and has four children.

Walsh was in the private practice of law for 24 years in St. Louis, where his main areas of practice were civil trials and appeals, insurance claims, torts and personal injury claims and worker’s compensation claims. Prior to that, he practiced law in Houston, Texas, for two years with a large firm in the areas of commercial, tax and securities litigation. He received his bachelor of science degree, cum laude, from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Walsh has lectured and written on his areas of practice. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas since 1984, The Missouri Bar since 1986, the American Board of Trial Advocates, American Trial Lawyers Association and the Missouri Trial Lawyers Association. He served as municipal judge in the City of Creve Coeurand prior to that was the municipal judge in Frontenac.

Warner graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1982 and was engaged in the practice of law at the law firm of Kortenhof & Ely from 1982 to 2000. In May 2000, he formed a law firm with Jeffrey P. Gault in Clayton. The firm represents plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury matters and employees in workers’ compensation matters. He is a member of the St. Mary Magdalen parish in Brentwood and was unanimously elected to two consecutive terms as president of the St. Mary Magdalen School Board (2006 to 2007 and 2007 to 2008). He is an active participant in the Mentor St. Louis program and he is a judge in S.T.A.R. Court Program in the Ferguson/Florissant School District. He is a member of the Missouri and Illinois bars and is also licensed to practice law before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The commission believes that these candidates chosen from a field of extremely qualified individuals possess those qualities of compassion, intellect and high moral purpose essential to the fair and efficient administration of justice. Each of these people have that trial experience and sense of fairness that the commission knows is required to administer justice to the people of the St. Louis County and the State of Missouri and proudly presents these names to Governor Nixon for his ultimate decision. The Commission is confident that all of these individuals are capable of serving well and honorably if selected by the governor.

The members of the Twenty-First Judicial Circuit Commission are: Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Kenneth M. Romines, Debbie Champion, Patrick Dudley, Laurie Westfall and Richard Wuestling IV.

Note: Links to nominees' applications typically are disabled after the governor makes his appointment.

Contact: Laura Roy, (314) 539-4300