27 March 2008

ST. LOUIS -  The Twenty-First Judicial Commission (St. Louis County) announced the panel of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Blunt to fill the vacancy on the St. Louis County Circuit Court created by the retirement of Judge Barbara Ann Crancer.

Those nominated by the commission are Kristine A. Kerr, Mary Elizabeth Ott and Thomas J. Prebil.

Kerr was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1978, Brown University in 1982, and Boston University School of Law in 1985. After graduation, Kerr was a law clerk for the Honorable Kent Karohl, Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. After a time in private practice in the areas of domestic relations, worker's compensation, personal injury and bankruptcy, she joined the Missouri State Public Defender System in 1988. She served as an assistant public defender and team leader in the St. Louis City Public Defender Trial Office for several years, and then joined the Capital Litigation Division of the Public Defender System. Kerr defended death penalty cases across Missouri for three years, and then rejoined the St. Louis City Public Defender Trial Office as first assistant in 1993. In October 2003, Kerr joined the St. Louis County Public Defender's Office to represent indigent persons facing all levels of felony charges in St. Louis County. In September 2004, Kerr was appointed family court commissioner in the St. Louis County family court, where she hears juvenile cases involving delinquency, abuse and neglect, guardianships and termination of parental rights. Kerr is married to Raymond Benson Kerr, and they have two children. She is a member of The Missouri Bar, the St. Louis County Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Lawyer's Association, the Women Lawyer's Association, the National Association of Women Judges and the Greater St. Louis Knitters' Guild. In her (few moments of) spare time, she loves to knit.

Ott is a sole practitioner in private practice in St. Louis County. Her practice focuses on criminal defense and family law, at the trial and appellate court levels, in both the state and federal systems. Ott is a 1985 graduate of St. Louis University School of Law where she received her J.D., and a 1982 graduate of St. Mary's College, where she received a B.A.

Prebil has practiced law in St. Louis since graduating from St. Louis University School of Law in 1971, most recently with Schlichter, Bogard & Denton. He also earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from St. Louis University. Prebil is a native of St. Louis and currently resides in University City.

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 Blunt 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 Patricia L. Cohen, Debbie Champion, Patrick Dudley, Gerard Noce, and Laurie Westfall.

Update: The governor in May 2008 appointed Mary Elizabeth Ott to fill this vacancy.