Holstein to resign state high court post

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Supreme Court Judge John Holstein said Thursday that he is resigning after a dozen years on the state's highest court.

Holstein, who planned an official announcement today, said he plans to practice law in his hometown of Springfield, Mo.

"I'm sending a letter over to the governor that I intend to retire March 1," Holstein said Thursday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I've been on the Supreme Court a good long while, and I've been a judge 27 years."

Holstein was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. John Ashcroft in October 1989. He served as chief justice from July 1995 through June 1997, a typical two-year term for the rotating job.

Holstein, who will be 57 next week, said he will stop hearing new cases after this month to reduce the amount of lingering work when he leaves.

During his tenure as an appellate judge, Holstein said he has written more than 300 opinions and been involved in about 1,500 cases.

While on the Supreme Court, he also helped administer Missouri's court system. During Holstein's tenure, cameras were welcomed into courtrooms and guidelines were developed for child support cases and the speedy disposition of all cases, among other things.

Fellow Supreme Court Judge Duane Benton, a friend of 30 years, praised Holstein as "a legend in Missouri law."

"He is the only judge in the history of Missouri to have served at every level of the judiciary," Benton said. "Judge Holstein was a practical judge. His experience gave him special insight."

As an example, Benton cited Holstein's dissenting opinion in a 1990 case on whether cleaning eggs constitutes the "manufacturing" of eggs for tax purposes.

Holstein wrote: "From time immemorial, hens have been thought of as the manufacturer -- the exclusive manufacturer of eggs. But despite the hen's best efforts, she has been unable to manufacture eggs that are uniform in size, color and quality. At risk of sounding indelicate, the hen's method of delivery does not always result in the most sanitary or aesthetically pleasing product."