10 January 2003

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 on the St. Louis circuit court created by the appointment of Judge Booker T. Shaw to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.

Those nominated by the commission are  Reuben A. Shelton, John F. Garvey Jr. and Lisa S. Van Amburg.

Shelton received his bachelor of science in journalism in 1977 from the University of Kansas. He received his juris doctor in 1981 from St. Louis University School of Law. He also received a masters in business administration in 1991 from Washington University. Shelton was a law clerk for the Honorable Clyde S. Cahill of the U.S. District Court from 1981 to 1983. Shelton is currently the senior in-house counsel for the Monsanto Company.

Garvey earned a bachelor of arts in 1983 from St. Louis University and a juris doctor in 1986 from Rutger's University Law School. He began in private practice in 1987 and moved on to the circuit attorney’s office before serving as an alderman for the city of St. Louis from 1991 to 1995. He then went back into private practice until his appointment as an associate circuit judge in 1998.

Van Amburg graduated in 1970 from Washington University and in 1975 from St. Louis University School of Law. She was a co-founder of Anderson, Everett, Sedey and Van Amburg, the first all-female law firm in St. Louis. In 1981 she joined the firm of Schuchat Cook & Werner. She is currently a partner in the law firm of Van Amburg, Chackes Carlson & Spritzer LLP. She is also currently an adjunct law professor in trial advocacy at Washington University.

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 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 Lawrence E. Mooney, Laura T. Cohen, Nancy Kistler, Christopher McGraugh and Eva Louise Frazer, M.D.

For more information, contact Laura Roy, (314) 340-6968.Judicial Circuit Commission are: Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Lawrence E. Mooney, Laura T. Cohen, Nancy Kistler, Christopher McGraugh and Eva Louise Frazer, M.D.

For more information, contact Laura Roy, (314) 340-6968.