IN HER ‘STATE OF THE JUDICIARY’ ADDRESS
by Jake Marszewski of Missouri News Network
Missouri Chief Justice Mary Russell outlined the status of Missouri’s courts to legislators Wednesday, giving an hour-by-hour “day in the life” of the state’s justice system in her annual State of the Judiciary address.
Russell, who has served as chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court since 2023 and served previously from 2013 to 2015, spoke on her goal to visit all 46 judicial circuits in Missouri and tell their story. So far, she said, she has visited 36.
“Today, I want to tell you the rest of the story — how the daily activities of our courts matter to the lives of everyday people in all of your communities, large and small,” Russell said.
Russell’s experience visiting each circuit highlighted key issues she saw in Missouri’s judicial system: juvenile justice and mental health.
On her visits, she said she took note of the need to accommodate a rising number of juveniles in detention.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with you this year to increase bed capacity in two central Missouri detention centers, while increasing our security and mental health services and maintaining our juvenile detention staff throughout our state,” Russell said.
In last year’s address, Russell emphasized mental health issues in the justice system. To continue addressing these issues, she recommended expanding the state’s treatment court divisions by adding mental health courts.
“Over three decades, our treatment courts have built a track record of success, helping people stay out of our criminal justice system and find new beginnings as both loving members of their families and productive community citizens,” Russell said.
For Russell, expanding pretrial services is another key to helping Missouri’s courts. Funding was approved for these services last year.
“Pretrial services involve more than just assessment and supervision,” Russell said. “They also connect nonviolent defendants with community resources to help them find housing, jobs or transportation.”
Russell said connecting defendants with these resources saves counties money and ensures public safety, while also making it more likely that defendants will actually show up in court.
Other issues Russell took note of in her travels include funding to restore the courts’ data systems and raising compensation for jurors.
Court staff were frequently highlighted in Russell’s address. She said that their everyday work greatly impacts their communities, and that the 3,400 judicial employees across the state are “one large court family.”
“I hope these examples show you how vital our courts our to your constituents,” Russell said. “Most of the work that we do does not generate headlines or go viral on social media, but the ordinary duties create extraordinary results for citizens across our state.”
The State of the Judiciary address was held at a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly in the House chamber, with 29 members of the Senate and several executive officers in the audience.
