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Two judges from the 16th Judicial Circuit will retire later this year.
Judge S. Margene Burnette will step down from Division 7 Oct. 31, and Judge S. Dale Youngs from Division 6 will step down Nov. 28. Burnette served 22 years as a judicial officer, and Youngs served 16, including a term as the circuit’s presiding judge.
Burnette joined the court in 2003 as the deputy commissioner of its probate division. She was the first commissioner to be elected president of the Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges. She served as deputy probate commissioner until November 2013, when she was appointed by former Gov. Jay Nixon to Division 7. Burnett started her career in private practice with Morris & Larson, before forming her own practice in 1995. She received her JD from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Judge Youngs was appointed in April 2009 by Nixon and served as the circuit’s presiding judge from 2021 to 2022. Prior to his appointment, he worked in private practice with the firm that is now Husch Blackwell. From 1996 to 2002, he served as an assistant Missouri attorney general. He earned his law degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Both positions are expected to be filled under the Nonpartisan Court Plan following their retirements.