Ferguson judge resigns after scathing Department of Justice report

On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court assigned a state appeals court judge to oversee all municipal cases in Ferguson, saying "extraordinary action" was necessary to restore the community's faith in its court system.

The current municipal judge, Ronald J. Brockmeyer, resigned following the release of the Justice Department's report last week, which called him out for fixing traffic tickets for colleagues and himself, making up new fees, and retaliating against defendants who challenged him, The New York Times reports.

Judge Roy L. Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals will take over Ferguson's cases, and will carry out "needed reforms to court policies and procedures in Ferguson to ensure that the rights of defendants are respected and to help restore the integrity of the system," the Missouri Supreme Court said in a statement. Brockmeyer will remain municipal judge in the nearby town of Breckenridge Hills.

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