Mayor Spencer Names Three New Judges to St. Louis Municipal Courts

Mayor Cara Spencer today announced three appointments to the Municipal Courts of the City of St. Louis. Municipal Judge Joan K. Miller will become Administrative Judge, attorney Douglas J. Hurst will join the bench as a Municipal Judge, and former Administrative Law Judge Maribeth McMahon will serve as a Provisional Judge. All three appointments were sworn in on October 15, 2026.

Judge Miller succeeds Judge Newton McCoy, who is retiring October 21, 2026, after leading the court as Administrative Judge since 2017 and serving more than three decades as a provisional City Court judge before that. Hurst fills the Municipal Judge seat left vacant when Judge Karma Edwards was appointed by Governor Mike Kehoe in February 2026 as an Associate Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

“Our Municipal Court is where most St. Louisans come face to face with the justice system, over a traffic ticket, a housing code violation, or a problem property in their neighborhood. Residents deserve a court that is fair, efficient, and treats every person with respect,” said Mayor Spencer. “Judge Miller, Doug Hurst, and Maribeth McMahon bring decades of experience from every side of the courtroom, as prosecutors, defenders, and judges. I’m grateful to Judge McCoy for his long service to this city, and confident this team will keep moving our courts forward.”

Judge Joan K. Miller, Administrative Judge

As Administrative Judge, Judge Miller will serve as the chief judicial officer of the Municipal Courts. She will oversee docket management, case assignments, and administrative policy across all courtrooms. She will also lead work to modernize court procedures, expand access to the courts, and partner with the City Counselor’s Office and the Circuit Clerk.

Judge Miller has served as a St. Louis Municipal Judge since 2013, presiding over arraignment, trial, traffic, housing, and nuisance dockets, as well as the court’s Special Assistance Docket. Since 2018 she has also served as a hearing officer in attorney disciplinary cases for the Supreme Court of Missouri’s Office of Legal Ethics Counsel, and since 2024 as a member of its Advisory Committee.

She began her legal career in 1995 as an Assistant Circuit Attorney in the City of St. Louis, where she spent more than two years in the Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, and Family Violence Unit and served as lead attorney on more than a dozen felony jury trials. She later served as a claims attorney for UniGroup, Inc., and in 2003 founded her own practice focused on criminal defense and family law. She serves on the lead Criminal Justice Act panel for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and as a Guardian ad Litem in St. Louis Family Court.

A lifelong civic volunteer, Judge Miller has served as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of St. Louis since 2004. She earned her law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in government from Smith College. Before law school, she spent ten years as a reservations sales agent for Trans World Airlines in St. Louis.

“I’m happy to serve as administrative judge to the people of St. Louis,” said Judge Miller. “I will be doing my part in ensuring all who come to municipal court have their cases resolved quickly, efficiently and fairly.”

Douglas J. Hurst, Municipal Judge

As Municipal Judge, Hurst will preside over weekly traffic, nuisance, and DWI dockets and conduct arraignments, motion hearings, and bench trials. He fills the seat vacated by Judge Karma Edwards, who now serves as an Associate Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

Hurst brings nearly two decades of criminal defense experience, much of it in municipal courts across the St. Louis region, including the City of St. Louis. He founded The Hurst Law Firm in 2009 and led its criminal defense and trial practice until 2025, when he joined the Missouri State Public Defender as a trial attorney. He is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois.

For 28 years, Hurst taught legal studies and communications at St. Louis Community College, including courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence. He served as lead faculty for the college’s small group and interpersonal communication division and as president of the faculty union, STLCC-NEA, from 2010 to 2014. He also served on the Missouri National Education Association Board of Directors and trained higher education leaders nationally.

Hurst earned his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, a master’s degree in speech communication from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and bachelor’s degrees in economics and speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“As a municipal court judge I want to be fair, efficient, and have an even judicial temperament while on the bench,” says Judge Hurst. “The citizens of St. Louis deserve a court that is both equitable and respectful to their needs.”

Maribeth McMahon, Provisional Judge

As Provisional Judge, McMahon will preside over Municipal Court proceedings when other judges are unavailable, helping keep dockets moving and cases heard on time.

McMahon returns to City service with deep roots in the court she will now serve. From 1994 to 2016 she was an Associate City Counselor in the City of St. Louis Law Department, where she served as lead prosecutor in City Courts. She also represented parents in juvenile care and protection cases, supervised nine contract attorneys, and defended the City in federal and state employment and contract litigation, trying multiple cases to verdict.

From 2016 to 2022, she served as an Administrative Law Judge with the U.S. Social Security Administration. Earlier in her career, she was an Assistant Public Defender in St. Louis County, where she tried 15 felony jury trials to verdict, and a staff attorney at Sindel & Sindel, P.C. Before practicing law, she spent five years at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, as a deputy clerk and as law clerk to Judge William H. Crandall Jr.

McMahon earned her law degree and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Saint Louis University.

“I am delighted to return as a city court judge having previously served as a municipal prosecutor,” Judge McMahon adds.”I look forward to showing all people the attention, respect, and fairness our justice system can provide.”

About the St. Louis Municipal Courts

The St. Louis City Municipal Division is a division of Missouri’s 22nd Judicial Circuit. It hears traffic citations issued by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, as well as illegal dumping, housing code, minor criminal, earnings tax, and truancy cases. The court also operates specialized dockets, including Problem Property Court. More information is available at stlouis-mo.gov/municipal-court.