--- title: "Nicole S. Zellweger | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-26" --- # Nicole S. Zellweger Missouri 18th Judicial Circuit Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Missouri 18th Judicial Circuit Court - State: Missouri - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### media equipment advance approval Scope: statewide Missouri Court Operating Rule 16 requires advance approval for media equipment used for courtroom coverage and allows the judge to control the number and setup of media personnel and equipment. Evidence excerpt: Failure to obtain advance approval for equipment may preclude its use in the proceeding. [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### device use in courtroom Scope: statewide Missouri courtroom device use for media coverage is not generally permitted unless authorized by the operating rule, a local court rule, or the judge presiding in the proceeding. Evidence excerpt: No person may use any device capable of media coverage in a courtroom or court clerk's office unless specifically authorized [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### audio video recording Scope: statewide Missouri allows limited video and audio recording for media coverage under COR 16 technical limits, subject to judicial approval and courtroom controls. Evidence excerpt: Not more than one videographer, using a single device, shall be permitted in the courtroom during a judicial proceeding at any time. [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf) - [Official roster](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf) - [Missouri Secretary of State Official Manual official judicial roster](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf) - [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo", "name": "Nicole S. Zellweger | KnowJudges", "description": "Nicole S. Zellweger, Missouri 18th Judicial Circuit Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-07-26", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo#judge", "name": "Nicole S. Zellweger", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Missouri 18th Judicial Circuit Court" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf" ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Missouri", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/missouri" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nicole S. Zellweger", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/nicole-s-zellweger-judge-missouri-18th-judicial-circuit-court-mo" } ] } ] } ``` ## Biography ### Professional career - Before joining the bench, Zellweger was a partner at Stinson Leonard Street LLP since 2007 - Selected as an Associate Circuit Judge in April 2018 by Governor Eric Greitens and elevated to Circuit Judge in January 2023 by Governor Michael Parson - Circuit Judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, appointed in 2018 as an Associate Circuit Judge and elevated to full Circuit Judge in 2023, with a background in business litigation, franchise law, and trust/estate matters - Began her legal career in 2003 as a summer associate at Blumenfeld, Kaplan & Sandweiss - Judge Zellweger serves in Division 5 of the 21st Judicial Circuit, which covers St. Louis County - She has stated that her role as a judge carries significant responsibility and that she strives to make decisions that respect the law while supporting individuals in their circumstances ### Education ### Additional information - focusing on business litigation, particularly franchise law and trust and estate litigation. - Practicing Catholic whose faith informs her approach to justice, emphasizing dignity, empathy, and resolution in family and other cases. - Judge Zellweger has served on the Board of Directors of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Mound City Bar Foundation, and is a member of the Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee and the Missouri Bar Judicial Internship Program. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-b0a3408119d84bbcc3619511) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354). Collected 2026-07-26.