June 2021 #YourMOLaw month in review

As we welcome in July and the lazy days of summer, let’s take a quick look back at all the news from June for #YourMOLaw!

We kicked off the month with the swearing in of an historic new judge to the Supreme Court of Missouri. Judge Robin Ransom took her oath during an informal proceeding on June 8, 2021, in St. Louis. Read more here about our state’s first woman of color to serve on the state’s highest court.

Next, the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court hosted a virtual open house to help other circuits in Missouri understand the process of a DV court and learn how it can benefit the community. More than 35 individuals participated in the event, including representatives from state and national domestic violence organizations and eight different circuit courts in Missouri. Learn more about how the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court is mentoring other courts.

As a reminder, Missouri’s appellate and circuit courts are no longer required to operate under COVID-19 restrictions. The operational update went into effect on June 15, 2021.

The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section also released an updated Small Claims Handbook, which is now available for free to members of the public. We know legal processes can be difficult to navigate and we’re here to help!

The Missouri Bar also published an article on the celebration of Juneteenth, which was updated as the president signed legislation making June 19 a federal holiday! Learn about the history of Juneteenth and the significance of its commemoration here.

COVID-19 has had broad impacts across Missouri not just to individuals, but also to the processes that guide our legal system and courts. Two recently published articles highlighted this fact. The first reminded citizens that the moratorium on evictions made by the CDC was scheduled to expire at the end of June. This article was updated to reflect to extension of the moratorium through July 31, 2021. However, there is assistance available to Missourians facing eviction. The second news piece centered on a grant program through The Missouri Bar that provided more than $178,000 to nonprofit legal organizations and court systems to provide technology resources that would increase access to justice throughout the state.

Check back at the end of next month for #YourMOLaw news from July!