Criminal cases in St. Louis County should move through the process more quickly, thanks to changes in the county’s grand jury process.
Previously, a single panel reviewed cases for a full day. But in September, a second panel began meeting to also review cases. That expansion will remain in place for 2026; the first grand jury term of the year begins Tuesday.
Every criminal case must undergo a review to determine whether there is enough evidence to issue charges. In St. Louis County, defendants can ask for a preliminary hearing in front of a judge or a prosecutor can take the case to a grand jury.
“We issue almost 6,000 cases a year, with the majority being felonies,” said Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith. “One of my goals when I took over the office a year ago was to make things as efficient as possible.”
Price Smith first approached 21st Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Bruce Hilton with a request for a second grand jury in February. It took him until September to weigh the legality and issue an order.
The second panel met for the final four months of the year and enabled prosecutors to present 430 additional cases, even with the holiday break. Price Smith said that number could rise to 1,000 additional cases in 2026.
Moving cases to trial more quickly benefits everyone, she said.
“Prosecutors and defense attorneys can exchange discovery more quickly. Depositions can occur more quickly,” she said. “It's only going to help the entire justice system.”
“Justice delayed is not justice served,” Hilton added. “We’ve got great trial judges, and if they can try a case sooner, some closure is good for everyone, whether that’s through negotiation that can happen quicker now, or through a trial on the merits and have a jury decide guilt or innocence.”
Price Smith said the goal of the second grand jury is not to put more people in prison.
“We are not saying, ‘Oh, yay, there’s another grand jury, we can issue more cases.’” she said. “We are issuing the same amount of cases. All this is doing is the cases we issued can move more efficiently and quickly through the system.”
