Judge Koester looking ahead to new area of law in 32nd District

Newly appointed judge Julia Koester will assume her role on the bench Aug. 17, as Division 4 associate judge for the 32nd Judicial District.

Koester addressed the Republican Women's Club at the group's monthly meeting Friday at Delmonico's in Jackson.

Her appointment was announced July 24, and she was sworn in July 31, Koester said.

"This is moving very quickly," Koester noted.

She has been an assistant prosecuting attorney in Cape Girardeau County since 2007, and in that capacity, primarily dealt with criminal cases.

"This will be a whole new role, serving Cape Girardeau in this capacity," Koester said.

Division 4 handles civil law, including guardianship, adult abuse, probate and small claims, Koester said.

Koester was appointed to fill a vacancy created by judge Scott Lipke's appointment to a position as circuit judge.

Lipke's appointment filled the vacancy created by Hon. Michael Gardner's appointment to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, according to previous reporting.

Koester graduated in 2003 with a degree in finance from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and received her law degree in 2007 from Saint Louis University School of Law. She is a member of the Missouri Bar Association and Safe House for Women board of directors and serves as chairperson of Cape Girardeau County's Child Fatality Review Panel. In 2019, she was a Cape Girardeau Zonta Club Woman of Achievement nominee. She is a Cape Girardeau resident whose husband, Jack Koester, is a federal prosecutor. They have three children.

The 32nd judicial district court serves Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry Counties.