23 December 2004

ST. LOUIS – The Twenty-Second Circuit Judicial Commission announced the panel of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Holden to fill the circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis created by the appointment Judge Nannette Baker to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.

Those nominated by the commission are Edward Sweeney, Marvin O. Teer Jr. and Robin Ransom Vannoy.

Sweeney received his bachelor of arts degree in 1969 and his law degree in 1974, both from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He was a member of the Armed Forces during the period of 1969 to 1971. Sweeney was elected state representative for the 84th District in 1974, reelected 1976, and again in 1978. He practiced in private law from 1974 to 1986 and served as a trial attorney in the circuit attorney’s office from 1986 to 1997. He was appointed by the late Governor Mel Carnahan as an associate circuit judge for the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit in December 1997. His community activities include BAMSL Angel Tree Committee, BAMSL Mock Trial high school coach and competition judge, a member of St. Joan of Arc Parish, various neighborhood organizations, and veterans’ organizations.

Teer graduated with a bachelor of arts from Lincoln University in 1985 and a law degree from The University of Missouri–Columbia in 1989. Upon graduation, he served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Clyde Cahill (1990 to 1992). He was appointed to serve as an assistant circuit attorney for the city of St. Louis from 1992 to 1998. In late 1998, Teer was appointed as assistant attorney general with the state office. He was appointed commission counsel for the Supreme Court of Missouri from 2001 to 2002, until his return to trial practice as a special prosecutor with the Missouri attorney general’s office for the Eastern District. Currently, Teer is serving as an assistant city counselor for the city of St. Louis. He is a volunteer with Mentor St. Louis and the Teen Speak–Out Program, and is a member of St. Elisabeth’s Catholic Church.

Vannoy received her bachelor of arts degree from Douglass College–Rutgers University in 1988 and her law degree from University of Missouri in 1991. During the period of 1992 to 1995 she served as assistant public defender for St. Louis County and as assistant prosecutor for St. Louis County from 1995 to 1996. Vannoy then served as legal officer for the St. Louis County family courts from 1996 to December 2002y, when she was appointed as a family court commissioner for the 22nd Judicial Circuit. She is an active member of Memorial Baptist Church, the Tower Grove Neighborhood Committee, a volunteer with Big Brothers and Sisters, Truancy Judge assigned to Vashon High School and a board member of CoCan (Counsel on Child Abuse and Neglect).

The commission believes 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 city of St. Louis and the State of Missouri and proudly presents these names to Governor Holden 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-Second Judicial Circuit Commission are: Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District George W. Draper III, Laura T. Cohen, Eva Louise Frazer, M.D., Christopher E. McGraugh, J.D. and Thomas Schwartz, J.D.

Contact: Laura Roy, clerk

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300