Missouri top court takes over Ferguson municipal court activities

The Missouri State Supreme Court said Monday that it has appointed a judge to decide all of Ferguson's municipal court activities after the town's judicial system was embroiled in racism and other controversies.

Ferguson has been at the center of U.S. racial tensions nationwide since Darren Wilson, a white officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, last year.

The state supreme court said in a statement that it designated Judge Roy L. Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District to restore integrity to Ferguson's controversial justice system through reforms of court policies and procedures.

"Judge Richter will bring a fresh, disinterested perspective to this court's practices and he is able and willing to implement needed reforms," the court's chief justice Mary R. Russell said in the statement.

The measure will take effect on March 16, when Judge Richter will take the bench.

Russell indicated that "extraordinary action" was needed in Ferguson,

"We must not sacrifice individual rights and society's collective commitment to justice," the chief justice said.

The move was made in the wake of a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report that found systematic racism within the Ferguson Police Department.

In a media availability on Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama said the department took "oppressive and abusive" actions against African-Americans.

Ferguson municipal judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer also resigned on Monday. He was criticized in the report for dismissing summonses for himself and his friends as well as using the court as a revenue generator for the city. Endi