November 2, 2009
Gov. Nixon appoints Circuit Judge Gary Gaertner to judgeship on Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Gov. Jay Nixon today announced the appointment of St. Louis County Circuit Judge Gary M. Gaertner Jr. to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. He will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Booker T. Shaw.
"Judge Gaertner has proven his judicial ability over the past nine years, sitting on the Circuit Court of the state's largest county and ably presiding over trials that were often complex, difficult and high-profile," Gov. Nixon said. "He also brings several years' experience as a successful federal and state prosecutor to the appellate bench. I am confident Judge Gaertner will be an asset to the Eastern District Court of Appeals, and I am pleased to select him to serve on this Court."
Judge Gaertner, age 44, has served as a circuit judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit (St. Louis County) since July 2000. He has presided over the probate court for St. Louis County since January 2008, a docket which includes all contested probate and will matters. Judge Gaertner's docket also has included civil, equity and felony criminal trials, including capital murder cases, jury trials seeking commitment of sexually violent predators, and cases involving complex business issues.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Gaertner worked for the United States Department of Justice, serving as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. He handled prosecution of insurance-related crime, tax evasion, fraud and violent crime. During this time, he also chaired the Insurance Fraud Task Force for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was an assistant prosecutor with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office from 1992 to 1995, prosecuting felony assaults, robberies, burglaries and general crime, and was an associate with the law firm of Bryan Cave before joining the Circuit Attorney's Office.
Judge Gaertner earned his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1990, graduating cum laude. At the school, he was a member of Law Review, was awarded membership in the Alpha Sigma Nu Scholastic Society, and also received the Childress Scholastic Fellowship and the Adler-Rosecan Scholastic Fellowship. He graduated magna cum laude from the honors program at Saint Louis University School of Business in 1987 with a degree in economics. Judge Gaertner is a member of the board of directors of The Crusade Against Crime.
Judge Gaertner was one of three appointees for this judgeship submitted to Gov. Nixon by the Appellate Judicial Commission for the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, under the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan.