Missouri Chief Justice Draper Delivers 2021 State of Judiciary

On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice George Draper III delivered the State of Judiciary speech virtually. In his address, he recognized that in the bicentennial year, Missouri stands at a crossroads. He spoke about the origins of the Supreme Court, the turbulent years of the Civil War, the 1918 pandemic and the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Justice Draper noted that because of the technological investments that Missouri made in previous years, the state did an amazing job of disposing of cases during the pandemic. The circuit courts resolved nearly 91 percent of cases, on par with the four previous years. He said the Court continued to implement treatment courts and that now only one of the 46 judicial circuits didn't have treatment courts. He said that progress was being made on efforts to improve the security of the state courthouses. 

At the conclusion of his address, he announced the retirement of Judge Laura Denvir Stith after 27 years of judicial service. She was the longest serving judge currently serving on the Supreme Court, and the second woman ever appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.