Total Credits: 1.8 Self Study
Recording available after original program date, 12/6/2022
In November, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 3, relating to marijuana use and the expungement of cannabis-related criminal records. The new constitutional amendment took effect Dec. 8. The portions of Amendment 3 authorizing constitutional expungements will be particularly relevant for criminal law practitioners.
This online course is designed to provide Missouri lawyers with a basic understanding of constitutional expungements under Amendment 3's framework, so they will be ready to answer client questions and take proper action.
Speakers: Mary D. Fox, Director, Office of the Public Defender, Columbia; Amy Fite, Prosecuting Attorney, Christian County, Ozark; Sara G. Rittman, Jefferson City; Sydney Ragsdale, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, UMKC Expungement Clinic, Kansas City; Jason K. Lewis, Chief Counsel for Governmental Affairs, Missouri Attorney General's Office, St. Louis; Doug Shull, General Counsel at Missouri Department of Corrections, Jefferson City
Moderator: Eric D. Jennings, The Missouri Bar, Jefferson City
Note: This material qualifies for self-study credit only. Pursuant to Regulation 15.04.5, a lawyer may receive up to six hours of self-study credit in a reporting year. Self-study programs do not qualify for GAL Certification, ethics, elimination of bias or Kansas credit.
| Amendment 3's Constitutional Expungements (619.1 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| MOLAP Information (210.1 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (58.6 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
On January 1, 2011, Amy Fite began her first term as the Prosecuting Attorney for Christian County. During her tenure the office has transitioned to a “fileless office”, a “no refusal” policy has been established to allow law enforcement to seek search warrants in cases involving impaired drivers, the office has been structured into teams for better efficiency and accountability. She has implemented a best practice of vertical prosecution – meaning the same prosecutor handles the case from case review through disposition.
After graduating cum laude from St. Louis University School of Law in 1997, Fite began as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. While there she served as the narcotics attorney. Upon leaving Christian County, Fite spent over eight years at the Circuit Attorney’s Office for the City of St. Louis. At the Circuit Attorney’s Office, Fite served in the Drug Court, Domestic Violence Unit, General Felony Trial Staff, Gang Unit, and the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit. She spent more than two years as the Trial Trainer, where she trained incoming Assistant Circuit Attorneys how to prepare and try jury trials. While at the Circuit Attorney’s Office, Fite participated in well over 100 jury trials, including successfully convicting murderers, robbers, rapists and child sex offenders. In 2008, Fite joined in the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office serving as a 1st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the General Crimes Unit. January 1, 2011, she began her first term as Christian County Prosecuting Attorney.
Mary Fox is the Director of the Missouri State Public Defender System. Fox was appointed to this position in January, 2020. Prior to that appointment Fox served for thirteen years as the managing attorney of the St. Louis City Trial Office for the system. Fox began her career as a public defender in 1981 as an Assistant Public Defender for MSPD and served in that position until 1987. In the intervening twenty years between her service with MSPD Fox served as a hearing officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division, was a Commissioner for the 21st Judicial Circuit in Missouri and practiced mainly in family and juvenile law. Fox is a 1976 graduate of St. Louis University with a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs and a 1980 graduate of St. Louis University School of Law.
Eric D. Jennings currently serves as Government Relations Counsel for the Supreme Court of Missouri and previously served as General Counsel and Government Relations Director for The Missouri Bar and as legislative staff in the Missouri General Assembly. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law.
Jason Lewis is General Counsel in the Attorney General's Office, where he has worked since 2016 following a career in private practice. His principal practice areas are constitutional law, administrative law, elections law, and the Sunshine Law. Jason earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Washington U
Sydney Ragsdale is a lawyer with the UMKC Expungement Clinic and a fellow with the Missouri Clear My Record (CMR) Expungement Project. Previously she worked for renowned criminal defense attorney Sean O’Brien as an investigator and legal researcher.
When Sydney is not working on making expungement more fair, effective, and accessible, she is performing improv or sketch comedy with her friends at the Bird Comedy Theater.
Sara Rittman was an Assistant Attorney General from 2019-2022. She served on the office's Professional Responsibility Committee as well as serving in leadership roles in the Governmental Affairs and Litigation Divisions. She practiced legal ethics and attorney discipline law from 1993-2019, including private practice, as Missouri's first Legal Ethics Counsel, and at OCDC. She was also previously an AAG from 1981-1993. She received her JD from UMKC in 1981.
