Yesterday was St. Louis City Circuit Judge Michael K. Mullen’s last. He has retired from the bench and is taking a position with the prestigious silk-stocking law firm of Armstrong Teasdale.
I first met Mike Mullen in 1990 when he was a fresh, young Assistant Circuit Attorney. We had a few cases together, but I really didn’t know him very well. I could tell that he was smart, hard-working, ambitious, and sensible – traits that I admire. I liked him. After a few years, he left the CAO and went on to work with the legendary criminal defense attorney Charlie Shaw. And it wasn’t long before he left Shaw to open his own firm.
Eventually though, he returned to public service, first as an associate circuit judge and later as a circuit judge in the City. He even became the Presiding Circuit Judge. Perhaps his claim to fame is that he oversaw the grand jury investigation of Kim Gardner and her investigator William Don Tisaby. It was during his tenure as a judge that I really came to know Mike Mullen.
Over the years he was a judge in the City, I handled so many cases before him I can’t even begin to guess a number. There were tons of pleas, a few bench trials, and some jury trials. My last jury trial before him was a murder case in October 2019. I had the honor of being involved in his last official court proceeding – a sentencing hearing held yesterday while a going-away party was active in his courtroom! My client received probation.
That’s all the superficial stuff.
This is what I really want you to know about Mike Mullen:
I’ve had the privilege to practice before many fine judges. And among that group is a small number who brought something special to the bench. Those judges not only did their job exceptionally well, they carried within themselves something that made them stand out.
I’ve seen a great many persons receive very long prison sentences. And I’ve seen judges who relish giving them – you can see the glee in their eyes when they announce their sentence. I’ve seen other judges who do it with suppressed fury at the defendant. Others who impose a life sentence matter-of-factly, as though it’s no different from entering an order for continuance.
But with those special few, and Judge Mullen was one of them, you could see the pain in their eyes when they did it. When Judge Mullen handed down such a sentence, it gave him no pleasure. He looked as though he felt sorry for the defendant, sorry for the crime that defendant had committed, sorry that he had the responsibility of holding the defendant accountable, sorry for the whole situation. It was a recognition of the human dignity of the person before him and of the tragedy of their life. In such moments, I could see his humaneness.
That’s what I want you to know about Mike Mullen. He is a fine human being. They don’t come much better.
sst.vincent for 50 yrs.
Outstanding post. I know him as a person, and don’t know him through work matters…what you’ve written is the truth: he’s a great human
Well stated. Thank you for describing the kind soul within Mike Mullen. He is as good a person on the surface as he is deep down to his core.
Enjoy retirement, Mike. You are held in high regard. Congratulations on a job well done.
He is a pickleball virtuoso.
This nails who Judge Mullen is/was as a judge and the kind of man he is. That beautiful soul – the kind of human being so many of us strive to be. A man who leads by example – who practices what he preaches in how to treat one another – a man who is kind, generous, humane, respectful, humble, forgiving, loving, and strong. I am one blessed gal who had the opportunity to work with him Of course, I wish him nothing but great things and happiness in life and also in his new job. To Judge Mullen – feel free to pop by and say hello when you’re in the area!
All the best in the next chapter Judge. An excellent family man and jurist.