KCMO Municipal Judge Courtney Wachal to Headline Park University’s Women Transforming Criminal Justice Event

February 13, 2025 — Courtney Wachal, J.D., municipal court presiding judge, Kansas City, Mo., Domestic Violence Court and Wellness Court, will be the featured speaker at Park University’s 3rd annual Women Transforming Criminal Justice event on Wednesday, March 5. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the Jenkin and Barbara David Theater inside Alumni Hall on the University’s flagship Parkville Campus. The event, which is open to the public, will also be livestreamed at parkumedia.com.

Wachal, who will be accompanied by her domestic violence court team, will share insights into domestic violence programming and engage a panel discussion with experts who will outline their roles in providing domestic violence services. A question-and-answer session will conclude the event.

In January 2015, Wachal was appointed by then Kansas City, Mo. Mayor Sly James and the KCMO City Council to serve as Kansas City municipal court judge in Division 203, which has primary jurisdiction over all domestic violence cases filed in municipal court. As part of her commitment to offender accountability and victim safety, Wachal initiated the compliance docket, a specialized supervised probation docket for high-risk domestic violence offenders.

In January 2019, Wachal began presiding over the Kansas City Municipal Drug Court and in June 2019, the domestic violence compliance docket developed a drug court track. This specialized, supervised docket addresses high-risk domestic violence offenders with substance use disorders. The docket is designed to permit domestic violence offenders the therapeutic environment needed to recover from their substance use disorder while simultaneously holding them accountable for their battering behavior.

Wachal was appointed as presiding judge of the Kansas City Municipal Court in September 2022. Under her term as presiding judge, the municipal court debuted its first-ever evening and weekend dockets, and greatly enhanced warrant relief through community engagement and walk-in dockets.

Kansas City Municipal Court combined its drug court and mental health court programs to launch Wellness Court in January 2024, over which Wachal presides. The goal of Wellness Court is to meet participants where they are to provide treatment and support and serve the whole person.

Wachal has been recognized for her efforts numerous times, most recently in November 2024 by the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program with the Dorothy Kaiser Award. The award is presented to a member of the Missouri Bar in recognition of pioneering contributions in the field of chemical dependency, recovery and continuing compassionate care for lawyers in Missouri. Additional honors include: the Hon. Joseph E. Stevens Aspire to Excellence Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association in December 2023; the Women’s Justice Award for Public Service from Missouri Lawyers Media in October 2021; Judge of the Year by the Association for Women Lawyers in December 2017; Champion of Change by the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center in 2015; Rising Star of Philanthropy by Nonprofit Connect in 2015; and Young Lawyers Section Pro Bono Publico Award from the Missouri Bar Association in 2014.

Wachal is past president of the board of directors for Sheffield Place and currently serves on the organization’s advisory board. She is an ex-officio member the board of directors for the Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City and is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. In addition, Wachal serves as a mentor with the Association for Women Lawyers Foundation Denise Henning Connections Program.

Wachal earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Upon graduation from KU, Wachal served in the Missouri State Public Defender System for seven years before becoming an assistant prosecuting attorney with the City of Kansas City, Mo., in 2011.