Judicial candidates vie for Circuit Court job

Candidates for Division III associate circuit judge presented their cases before the Cape County Republican Women's Club Friday afternoon at Dexter Bar-B-Que.

Lawyer Jeffrey Dix will face incumbent Gary Kamp in the Republican primary on Aug. 5.

Division III of the Circuit Court primarily handles misdemeanor and felony criminal cases through preliminary hearings, as well as domestic relations, some city traffic cases and small claims.

Jeffrey P. Dix

Dix has been a lawyer since 1985 and has maintained offices in Jackson and Cape Girardeau. The father of three children, he said family has always been his priority. He unsuccessfully ran for Division IV associate circuit judge in 1994 and said he hasn't made another attempt at office until now because he wanted to focus on raising his children.

When people ask Dix why he deserves their vote, he said his answer is simple: trust.

"Every person who knows me would trust me with the lives of their children," he said. "And that's one really important reason that I'm running, is trust. People trust me."

At the meeting, Dix was asked about the slogan featured on his campaign signs, hailing a time for change. The candidate said the biggest change he hopes to bring is reducing the number of disqualifications. Under state law, attorneys can seek to have a judge disqualified from hearing a case. When that happens, the case may be moved to a different judge in another county.

In the past four years, Dix said there have been an average of 597 disqualifications in Division III, meaning those cases went to judges in Bollinger and Perry counties.

"They're not even from our county. You don't get to vote for them, but they're deciding 600 cases a year roughly," said Dix. "... That just drags out the system: File a change of judge, it has to go to the clerk, send it over to the presiding judge, back to the clerk and then you get your first court appearance. And those judges only meet once a month ..."

Kamp, who has held the position since 1994, said some lawyers "think I'm a little too tough on criminals," but most opt for disqualification for the convenience.

"There are a number of lawyers, including my opponent, who disqualify me because they know they only have to come to court once a month," he said.

By moving to a court that meets once a month, lawyers have more time between appearances to work on cases.

If re-elected to the position, Kamp said he plans to continue his work to make processes more efficient and "timely dispose" of cases to save taxpayer money. He's already handling the majority of arraignments via videoconference, which reduces safety issues and transportation costs, and said the system paid for itself "probably within two months" in savings. His court was among the first in the state to switch to that technology, he said.

He's also continuing to advocate for an early release program that would use alcohol-detection devices, GPS monitors and other equipment to keep track of defendants awaiting trial on nonviolent offenses.

Kamp touted the program as a way to free up jail space and allow nonviolent offenders to work and remain productive, something he said he believes is very important.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

236 Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.