JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced three judicial appointments to the 16th and 22nd Judicial Circuits.
Michelle Cocayne, of Kansas City, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Cocayne is an attorney at the Law Office of Joe Ramboldt, LLC, and previously practiced at Turney LG, LLC. Prior to entering private practice, she served as an assistant prosecutor for Clay County. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religious Studies from Bradley University and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law. Cocayne will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge J. Dale Youngs.
Catherine Dierker, of St. Louis, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Dierker currently serves as an associate circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit. Before her appointment, she worked as a criminal prosecutor for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama from University College Dublin, and her Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Dierker will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David C. Mason.
Karma Johnson, of St. Louis, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Johnson is currently the owner of the Law Office of Karma Q. Edwards, Esq., and a municipal judge for the City of St. Louis. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law. Johnson will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Patrick E. Richmond to the circuit bench.
