Cass judicial candidates favor specialized treatment courts

Two sitting judges are competing for an associate circuit judge position in Missouri’s 17th Judicial Circuit, which includes Cass County.

Raymore Municipal Judge Stacey Lett is seeking to unseat Judge Meryl Lange, who currently holds the Division 3 seat that’s on the August ballot. Both Republicans longstanding attorneys in the area.

Lange was appointed to the bench by Gov. Jay Nixon in January 2013 to succeed William Collins after his election as circuit judge.

Her legal practice has encompassed criminal and civil law, including domestic, probate and juvenile law.

“I think our role in the community is to be a leader and show the public that we are concerned about the residents of Cass County and their families,” Lange said.

Lett has been municipal judge in Raymore since January 2011. Her background includes criminal defense, traffic, DWI/DUI, personal injury and family law work.

Both candidates are proponents of specialized treatment courts. Cass County currently operates drug, DWI and youth courts. A mental health court is set to start next month.

“Treatment courts are good opportunities for individuals to receive the services needed under close court watch and assistance to see if they can break the cycles,” Lett said.

Lett has been president of the Cass County Youth Court since its inception two years ago. In 2013, based upon this role, she received a Civic Leadership Award from the Missouri Municipal League.

“It’s an opportunity to break patterns and it can be very useful, especially with overcrowding in our prison populations,” Lett said.

Lange said that if elected, she would work to establish a veterans court. She has played an active role in establishing the foundation of a mental health court after the Cass County Commission gave its blessing for the program last year.

In at least its initial stage, the mental health court will work with municipalities throughout the county, beginning in Raymore.

The first mental health court date is scheduled for Aug. 21.

“I think treatment courts are very important to our community,” Lange said. “The people who are treated in these courts don’t come back through the system again.”

The winner of the August primary will have no opposition in the November general election.

This story was originally published July 26, 2014 at 12:35 AM with the headline "Cass judicial candidates favor specialized treatment courts."