Circuit Court Judge Gloria Clark Reno was unanimously elected by her peers to become the first African American to lead the 21st Judicial Circuit as presiding judge since it was established in 1815.
Being a judicial pioneer is not new to Reno. When Gov. Jeremiah W. “Jay” Nixon appointed her circuit judge in the 21st Circuit, which covers St. Louis County, in 2009, she became the first African-American woman to serve as a circuit judge in the county. Gov. Bob Holden had appointed her associate circuit judge in 2002.
“She is very committed and dedicated,” former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronnie L. White told The American when Nixon appointed her. “She has a great judicial temperament.”
Reno was appointed by both governors from short lists selected by a commission, as per the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan, which has been in effect since 1940, though county voters adopted it in the late 1960s. The plan is now a national model.
“The fact that I am a circuit judge today is a direct result of the plan,” Reno said.
Reno has extensive civil and criminal litigation experience and practiced law until her appointment to the circuit court. She served as municipal judge for the City of Northwoods from 1994 to 2002.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Missouri at St. Louis and her law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law. She taught English at Maplewood Senior High School before pursuing law, under the encouragement of her father, Cornelius Clark, who first taught her to read. She joked that her father wanted her to become an attorney because she talked a lot as a child.
Her mother, Mattie L. Clark, attended what is now Harris-Stowe State University and worked in the Saint Louis Public Schools for more than 30 years. Her father worked at the former Colorado Milling Company. For them, education was the equalizer.
“Education is something that, once you get it, no one can take it away,” Reno told The American.
She participated in the St. Louis County Truancy Court Program in Wellston as a volunteer from 2002 to 2006. She wanted to serve as a role model for troubled youth.
“I thought it was important for kids to see what education can do for you,” she said. “If you work hard, play by the rules, attend school on a regular basis and get good grades, you can achieve.”
She is a member of the Missouri Bar, Mound City Bar Association, Women Lawyers’ Association and National Association of Women Judges. She is a past member of the Missouri Supreme Court Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Domestic Relations Cases.
She currently serves as a mentor to both high school and college students and is an active member of several public service organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
She succeeds former Presiding Judge Douglas R. Beach, who retired in September. Circuit Judge Michael Burton was elected assistant presiding judge.
