479.020. Municipal judges, selection, tenure, jurisdiction, qualifications, course of instruction. - Missouri Statutes

Municipal judges, selection, tenure, jurisdiction, qualifications,course of instruction.

479.020. 1. Any city, town or village, including those operatingunder a constitutional or special charter, may, and cities with apopulation of four hundred thousand or more shall, provide by ordinance orcharter for the selection, tenure and compensation of a municipal judge orjudges consistent with the provisions of this chapter who shall haveoriginal jurisdiction to hear and determine all violations against theordinances of the municipality. The method of selection of municipaljudges shall be provided by charter or ordinance. Each municipal judgeshall be selected for a term of not less than two years as provided bycharter or ordinance.

2. Except where prohibited by charter or ordinance, the municipaljudge may be a part-time judge and may serve as municipal judge in morethan one municipality.

3. No person shall serve as a municipal judge of any municipalitywith a population of seven thousand five hundred or more or of anymunicipality in a county of the first class with a charter form ofgovernment unless the person is licensed to practice law in this stateunless, prior to January 2, 1979, such person has served as municipal judgeof that same municipality for at least two years.

4. Notwithstanding any other statute, a municipal judge need not be aresident of the municipality or of the circuit in which the municipal judgeserves except where ordinance or charter provides otherwise. Municipaljudges shall be residents of Missouri.

5. Judges selected under the provisions of this section shall bemunicipal judges of the circuit court and shall be divisions of the circuitcourt of the circuit in which the municipality, or major geographicalportion thereof, is located. The judges of these municipal divisions shallbe subject to the rules of the circuit court which are not inconsistentwith the rules of the supreme court. The presiding judge of the circuitshall have general administrative authority over the judges and courtpersonnel of the municipal divisions within the circuit.

6. No municipal judge shall hold any other office in the municipalitywhich the municipal judge serves as judge. The compensation of anymunicipal judge and other court personnel shall not be dependent in any wayupon the number of cases tried, the number of guilty verdicts reached orthe amount of fines imposed or collected.

7. Municipal judges shall be at least twenty-one years of age. Noperson shall serve as municipal judge after that person has reached thatperson's seventy-fifth birthday.

8. Within six months after selection for the position, each municipaljudge who is not licensed to practice law in this state shallsatisfactorily complete the course of instruction for municipal judgesprescribed by the supreme court. The state courts administrator shallcertify to the supreme court the names of those judges who satisfactorilycomplete the prescribed course. If a municipal judge fails to completesatisfactorily the prescribed course within six months after the municipaljudge's selection as municipal judge, the municipal judge's office shall bedeemed vacant and such person shall not thereafter be permitted to serve asa municipal judge, nor shall any compensation thereafter be paid to suchperson for serving as municipal judge.

(L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1993 S.B. 88, A.L. 1996 H.B. 1169 & 1271 merged with S.B. 722 merged with S.B. 869, A.L. 2001 S.B. 267, A.L. 2004 H.B. 795, et al. merged with S.B. 1211)