Judge Eckelkamp Files For Re-Election

Editor’s note: HermannNews.com welcomes candidates for any public office to submit bios for publication consideration. If interested, please contact us at editor@ngnn.com.

Circuit Judge Cynthia Eckelkamp has filed for re-election to her position in Division 2 of the 20th Judicial Circuit, which includes Franklin, Gasconade, and Osage Counties.

Judge Eckelkamp, a Republican, was the first woman elected to the state court bench in the 20th Judicial Circuit when she was elected in 2002.  In 2004 she was elected Circuit Judge, her present position.

In her seven years on the bench Judge Eckelkamp has disposed of thousands of cases including several large jury trials.  As Associate Circuit Judge she handled a large number of traffic cases, misdemeanors, preliminary hearings for felony cases, small claims matters, landlord-tenant cases, collections cases, and other cases.  She heard most of her small claims cases on Saturday mornings to make it easier for litigants to appear without missing work.  As a Circuit Judge she has handled a smaller number of more complicated cases.  These include felonies, divorces and other family court cases, auto accidents, other personal injuries, adoptions, and cases involving real estate.  She has also handled class action cases.

Judge Eckelkamp grew up in the Villa Ridge area where her parents, Woody and Helen Eckelkamp, still reside.  She is a 1967 graduate of Washington High School and a 1970 graduate of Vassar College.  She taught junior and senior high school mathematics and obtained her Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia prior to attending law school.  She graduated from Washington University School of Law in 1977.  In her legal career she has taught classes at Washington University School of Law, clerked for a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, and practiced law in various settings prior to becoming a judge.

Judge Eckelkamp lives near Washington with her husband, Terry Witthaus, and daughter, Sonja.  Their son, Ansel, lives and works in Mountain View, California.  Their son, Cyrus, will be graduating from Grinnell College in May.  She continues to be active as a volunteer teacher of Sunday School classes, in the Mock Trial program, and as a 4-H breads class leader. 

Judge Eckelkamp is a member of the 20th Judicial Circuit Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, American Bar Association, and National Association of Women Judges. 

For more information, go to her website at www.cindy4judge.com.