David M. Byrn

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David M. Byrn

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Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Missouri 16th Judicial Circuit Court Division 3

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Education

Bachelor's

Graceland University, 1978

Law

University of Missouri, Kansas City, 1981

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## Contents

* 1 Education
* 2 Career
* 3 Elections
* 3.1 2016
* 3.2 2010
* 3.2.1 Performance evaluation
* 4 Judicial selection method
* 5 Noteworthy events
* 5.1 Clerk termination (2013)
* 6 Recent news
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

David M. Byrn was a circuit court judge for the 16th Circuit Court in Missouri. He served from 2008 to 2021. Byrn was appointed to the court by Governor Matt Blunt (R) in September 2008, and was retained in 2010 and 2016.[1] He retired on July 29, 2021.[2]

## Education[edit]

Byrn received a bachelor's degree in economics and social studies from Graceland University in 1978 and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1981. He also received a Civil Mediator Certification from the University of Missouri.[3][1]

## Career[edit]

* 2008-2021: Judge, 16th Circuit Court
* 1981-2008: Attorney, Jeter, Rains & Byrn, LC[3][1]

## Elections[edit]

### 2016[edit]

See also: Missouri local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Missouri held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on August 2, 2016. The filing deadline for those wishing to run in the primary was March 29, 2016. Judges running in a retention election on November 8 had to file by August 23.[4] David M. Byrn was retained in the Missouri 16th Circuit, Division 3 election with 66.35 percent of the vote. [5]

Missouri 16th Circuit, Division 3, 2016

Name | Yes votes
David M. Byrn| 66.35%
Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "2016 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 9, 2016

### 2010[edit]

See also: Missouri judicial elections, 2010

Byrn was retained on November 2, 2010, receiving 65.4% of the vote.[6]

#### Performance evaluation[edit]

Click here to read Judge Byrn's performance evaluation from the Appellate Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee.

## Judicial selection method[edit]

See also: Partisan elections

The judges of the Missouri Circuit Courts in Clay, Greene, Jackson, Platte, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis are appointed by the governor with the help of a judicial selection commission.[7]

The chief judge of each court is elected by the circuit and associate judges from among the sitting circuit judges.[8]

Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:

* a U.S. citizen for at least 10 years;
* a qualified state voter for at least three years;
* a resident of the circuit for at least one year;
* licensed to practice law in the state; and
* at least 30 years old.[8]

## Noteworthy events[edit]

### Clerk termination (2013)[edit]

Chris Hayes of MSNBC interviews Sharon Snyder and Robert Nelson

On June 27, 2013, Judge Byrn fired court clerk Sharon Snyder, a court employee for 34 years, for assisting Robert Nelson, who was convicted in 1984 of rape. He was proven innocent through DNA testing in 2013 after some help from Snyder.

Nelson claimed innocence, but was sentenced to 50 years, starting in 2006, after he finished serving two robbery sentences unrelated to the rape case. In 2009 and again in 2001, Nelson sought DNA testing since it had not been available at his initial trial in the 1980s. Judge Byrn denied both requests due to legal technicalities.

After the second failed attempt at DNA testing, Snyder sent a copy of a correct motion for DNA testing from another case to Nelson's sister. Using that public document as a guide, Nelson was able to craft a proper motion, which was sustained by Judge Byrn in early 2012. Nelson was freed on June 12, 2013.[9]

Following Nelson's release, Snyder was terminated for violating court procedure. She was 70 years old and was set to retire in nine months. Judge Byrn wrote in her dismissal letter, "The document you chose was, in effect, your recommendation for a Motion for DNA testing that would likely be successful in this Division...But it was clearly improper and a violation of Canon Seven … which warns against the risk of offering an opinion or suggested course of action.”[10]

Snyder has stated that she would do it again. Nelson said of her, "She gave me a lot of hope...She and my sister gave me strength to go on and keep trying. I call her my angel."[10][11]

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms David Byrn Missouri judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

David M. Byrn - Google News

## See also[edit]

* Jackson County, Missouri
* Missouri Circuit Courts
* Judicial selection in Missouri

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, "Biography," accessed August 19, 2021
2. ↑ Circuit Court of Jackson County Missouri, "Judge David M. Byrn announces retirement," July 9, 2021
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Your Missouri Judges, "David M Byrn 16th Judicial Circuit (Jackson County)," accessed August 19, 2021
4. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2016 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed December 7, 2015
5. ↑ Emailed candidate list from Missouri Secretary of State's Office on September 20, 2016
6. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2010 General Election results"
7. ↑ Your Missouri Judges, "Missouri Judges: The Non-Partisan Court Plan," accessed March 18, 2019
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `general`
9. ↑ The Atlantic, "What Kind of 'Justice System' Refuses to Test DNA Evidence?" July 30, 2013
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Kansas City Star, "Jackson County Circuit judge fires 34-year court veteran for good deed," July 28, 2013
11. ↑ Huffington Post, "Sharon Snyder, Court Clerk Fired For Helping Free Wrongly Convicted Man: 'I Would Do It Again' (VIDEO)," August 15, 2013

Missouri courts

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Federal courts:

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri

State courts:

Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri

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State of Missouri
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