Local attorney and former Cole County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Todd Smith has announced his candidacy for Cole County associate circuit judge.
Smith is running for the newly created second associate position, which has no incumbent.
"As someone who has worked his whole career in law and successfully argued a case in front of the Missouri Supreme Court, I have come to understand and appreciate Missouri's legal system," Smith said in a news release. "Our system of laws and courts are some of the best in the country, and I will strive to make sure that law and order is upheld in Cole County."
Smith earned his bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Missouri, his juris doctorate from Drake University Law School, and his master of laws in law and government from American University's Washington College of Law. Smith also holds certificates in constitutional law and civil rights, according to his announcement.
Smith was an assistant attorney general, where he handled felony appeals in the criminal division, he said in his news release. After leaving that office, Smith worked at the insurance defense firm of Ford, Parshall & Baker in Columbia. During his time as an assistant prosecutor in Cole County, he primarily handled drug offenses.
Smith now has his own law firm as a general practitioner with an emphasis on civil litigation.
In 2018, the Missouri Legislature approved Cole County's request to add a second associate circuit judge position in the 19th Circuit. That position was removed in 2003, when the third circuit judge's job was added. Associate circuit judges serve four-year terms.
As of Monday, no other candidates have announced their intention to run for this office.
Filing for this and other countywide offices in 2020 officially opens Feb. 25 and ends March 31. The primary election is Aug. 4, and the general election will be Nov. 3, 2020.