By Tim Schmidt Record Managing Editor As prosecuting attorney, Michael Wright never had to worry about an election foe. Now an associate circuit judge, a position he was appointed to in January, Wright has had to hit the campaign trail. Wright is facing opposition from Warrenton attorney Lauren Hopkins in Tuesday’s primary election. Both candidates are Republicans. The winner will run unopposed in the November general election and start a four-year term in January. Wright served as prosecuting attorney from 1991-2014 until Gov. Jay Nixon appointed him to fill the newly created associate circuit judge position in January. When the prosecutor position was formerly part time, Wright had a private practice in Warrenton for 15 years and handled a wide range of cases, including divorces, real estate, probate and civil matters. He was named the 2013 Missouri Prosecutor of the Year by the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and also served as president of the National District Attorney’s Association from 2012-2013 and Missouri Prosecutors Association in 2001. “I think it’s important we have judges who are impartial and fair and have integrity,” Wright said. “Integrity is a lot of different things but it boils down to morals, values and in this case professionalism. Integrity is being true to yourself and not changing who you are just to get some appointment or someone’s vote.” Hopkins, meanwhile, has run her own private practice, Hopkins and Hopkins, for the past 10 years. Prior to that, she worked two years as an assistant prosecutor in Jackson County. “I believe the county deserves a judge with the heart that I have and the toughness,” she said. “I come across as very soft-spoken, but I am very tough. You have to be or people will walk right over you. I am very tough, very fair, and I care about the right decision being made.” Hopkins said her niche as a lawyer is handling cases related to family law and being involved in with the Drug/DWI Court program. She claims to have given over $122,000 in free work as a defense attorney in the past seven years assisting participants in the Drug/DWI Court. She said the majority of cases that will be heard in the Division 3 courtroom are the same ones she has handled her entire career. “There is not a case I couldn’t hear,” Hopkins said. “A lot of times judges are conflicted out of cases. You have to have a different judge there. I can hear anything.” Wright noted it’s common for prosecutors to become judges. Though he was prosecutor for a number of years, Wright said he can hear any criminal case that was filed after he left the prosecutor’s office. He can also handle any type of case assigned to him. “There is a different perspective, but it’s still representing the values of the county while still following the law,” Wright said.
Mike Wright, left; Lauren Hopkins, right.
