Associated Circuit Judge

2014

Judge Barbara T. Peebles was appointed as an associate circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit in 2000 and has served in various divisions of the circuit court. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University and a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1986. Prior to her appointment, she served as assistant city counselor and as an assistant circuit attorney in the City of Saint Louis, and as the first Drug Court commissioner of the Saint Louis Drug Court from 1998 until her appointment to the bench. She is a member of the National Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, Mound City Bar Association, and Women Lawyers Association of Greater Saint Louis.

Attorneys responding to a survey gave Judge Peebles consistent ratings between a 2 and a 3 on a 5-point scale, with 1 representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strong Agree.” One exception was a score of 3.11 for addressing individuals respectfully in the courtroom.

There were no juror surveys to review because Judge Peebles did not preside over jury trials during her most recent term.

The committee reviewed written opinions submitted by Judge Peebles and found that they were of acceptable legal quality and well-reasoned in view of the type of cases before her.

Court personnel surveys were primarily favorable, with the principle negative comment being that she was not always available when others needed her or when she was a duty judge.

During 2012, Judge Peebles was the subject of a widely-publicized disciplinary proceeding that resulted in a trial before the Missouri Supreme Court. This was prosecuted by the Commission on Retirement Renewal and Discipline of the Judiciary, and involved a number of allegations of misconduct and a lack of proper judicial behavior. The committee was troubled by these proceedings but was heavily influenced by the fact that the Supreme Court, after an extensive hearing, felt that there was not cause to remove Judge Peebles from office. The committee concluded that in view of this finding, if the Supreme Court did not find cause to remove Judge Peebles, then we would not recommend that she not be retained.