Circuit Judge

2014

Judge Maura B. McShane was appointed circuit judge for St. Louis County in 1994. Prior to her appointment, she was an assistant prosecutor for St. Louis County for 10 years. Judge McShane received her Juris Doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from Saint Louis University. She is a member of the St. Louis County Bar Association and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Attorneys who responded to survey questions rated Judge McShane on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strongly Agree.”

Judge McShane received her highest scores for: addressing individuals respectfully in the courtroom (4.35); making sure all parties understood court proceedings (4.22) ;and maintaining a professional demeanor in the courtroom (4.22). Her lower scores were for: decision followed logically from the evidence presented (3.94); ruling cited the applicable substantive law (3.96); and assisting parties in narrowing key issues in dispute (4.02).

The committee also reviewed survey responses submitted by 15 jurors who were seated in jury trials before Judge McShane. She received unanimously favorable responses from the jurors in questions relating to 10 separate criteria that evaluate her conduct throughout jury trials.

The committee has also reviewed three written opinions submitted by Judge McShane, and found the opinions were well-reasoned, clearly written, and faithful to applicable Missouri law.