ST. LOUIS – Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan on Tuesday swore-in six assistant U.S. attorneys as special prosecutors to ease the build-up of serious pending felony cases in St. Louis Circuit Court.
St. Louis Presiding Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan, center, swears in several assistant U.S. attorneys as special prosecutors in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
The prosecutors who took the oath of office Tuesday are Jerry McDonald, Christine Krug, Matthew Martin, Paul D’Agrosa, Ashley Walker and Nicholas Lake.
Two others, Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Szczucinski, are expected to be sworn-in soon.
McDonald, Krug, Walker, Martin, Lake and Szczucinski are former assistant circuit attorneys in St. Louis.
They are expected to begin working on homicides and other serious cases while continuing their regular caseload in U.S. District Court.
They joined a wave of prosecutors hired by or returning to the Circuit Attorney’s Office since Gabe Gore stepped in to replace Kimberly M. Gardner. Gore was appointed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson following Gardner’s abrupt resignation.
Gore has hired at least a dozen assistant circuit attorneys to join his ranks in the last few weeks to rebuild an understaffed office under his predecessor.
ST. LOUIS – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Friday his appointment of Lynne R. Perkins as St. Louis’ newest circuit judge. He will fill the vacancy created by the March retirement of Circuit Judge Michael Mullen. Perkins, 62, has served the associate circuit bench since October 2017. Since the start of 2023, he has been one of two associate judges assigned to the St. Louis Circuit Court’s bond review divisions.
Judge Lynne R. Perkins
“While interacting with the citizens of St. Louis City, I am reminded daily of the awesome responsibility that being a Judge brings,” Perkins wrote in his application for the appointment. “As such, I am mindful of the symbolism that my appointment carries and welcome the opportunity to serve. Thus, each day I have the privilege of taking the bench, I endeavor to work hard to earn the respect of the public and my peers, and to administer justice competently, fairly, and with patience and respect.”
Perkins grew up in St. Louis and went on to serve 20 years in the Air Force where he earned numerous medals. After his honorable discharge in 2000, he earned a law degree at Washington University in 2003 and worked for five years as a public defender in St. Louis. He then practiced as a private defense attorney for nearly a decade until his appointment to the bench.
During his time as a trial attorney, he said he came “to understand the often-complex nature of our judicial processes and the impact that courts and judicial decisions have not only on the lives of those involved but other members of our city, state, and nation.”
Perkins was among 11 applicants for the appointment. The 22nd Circuit Judicial Commission interviewed them May 3 and selected three nominees. The other two were Associate Circuit Judge David Roither and Family Court Commissioner Michael Walton.
The commission’s members are Michael E. Gardner, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, and commission chair; Matthew J. Devoti; J. Brent Dulle, secretary of the commission; Eva Frazer, M.D.; and Chris Goodson.
