Today the Presiding Judge of the City of St. Louis Circuit Court announced how he is going to run the place now that individual docketing has been rejected by the judges.  If you guessed that it would return to the old central docketing system, you would be wrong!

Presiding Judge Dowd will be sitting in Division 1.  He will hear all matters relating to peremptory trial settings, continuances and scheduling orders.  Not unusual. Here is what is new:  he has assigned  Equity Division Judges Sweeney and Dierker to hear motions. Sweeney gets the even numbered cases and Dierker the odd (Sweeney quipped that was because he was "even handed").   They will handle motions until the case is randomly assigned to a trial judge, 2-3 weeks before the trial date.

Good news: you can now sign up motions by email through the Division 18 (Dierker) and 31 (Sweeney) clerks.  You can also do it the old way, too, if you have too much time on your hands. B

So, here is another new wrinkle:  if you take a change from Dierker or Sweeney because you don't want them ruling on your motions, the case will  be shoved across the hall to the other judge.  You don't go on the wheel.  And you have used your one change and don't have any bullets left to DQ the trial judge.

And here is another wrinkle:  if you get assigned to a trial judge and pull the trigger too quickly,  you may waste your change.  For example: if you are assigned out 2-3 weeks in advance but the judge has two or three other cases ahead of you and you aren't reached, you will get sent back to Division One for reassignment.  If you spazzed out and filed a change to DQ a judge who wasn't going to reach your case, you wasted your change.

And here is another little factoid:  cases are going out a whole lot sooner. Judge Dowd indicated that 2008 filings are showing up with docket numbers in the 60's.  Of course, this underscores the efficiency of the City system.  Or our venue laws.  You pick