This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, June 28, 2012 - Two St. Louis judges and a local lawyer make up the three appellate-court nominees offered up to Gov. Jay Nixon, who will choose one of them to replace Judge Kenneth M. Romines, who will be retiring after serving seven years on the Missouri Court of Appeals.
The three nominees – Judges Michael David and Lisa Van Amburg, and lawyer Erwin Switzer – were chosen by the Appellate Judicial Commission. The chairman is Richard B. Teitelman, chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.
According to a commission statement, the panel “unanimously supports the three nominees,” who were chosen after “more than five hours of public interviews, more than three hours of deliberations and six rounds of balloting.”
Nixon has 60 days to select one of the nominees. If he fails to do so, the commission will make the choice.
Here’s the brief biographies of each of the nominees, provided by the commission:
Michael David
“David is a circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis city). He was born May 7, 1951. He earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1973 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and his law degree in 1977 from the St. Louis University School of Law. David lives in St. Louis.”
Erwin Switzer
“Switzer is an attorney in the offices of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale PC in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 25, 1956. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1978 from St. Louis University and his law degree in 1981 from Saint Louis University School of Law. Switzer lives in St. Louis.”
Lisa Van Amburg
“Van Amburg is a circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis city). She was born Sept. 13, 1948. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in 1970 from Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree, cum laude, in 1975 from Saint Louis University School of Law. Van Amburg lives in St. Louis.”
Besides Teitelman, the commission members included lawyers Thomas M. Burke of St. Louis, J.R. Hobbs of Kansas City and John D. Wooddell of Springfield and Missouri residents Cheryl M. Darrough of Columbia, John T. Gentry of Springfield and Donald L. Ross of St. Louis.
