New Judge in Cass County, Missouri

There will be a new Judge in Cass County, Missouri soon.

Former judge Alyssa Mayer Berko was appointed as the Associate Circuit Judge for Division 5 in the Cass County, Missouri Circuit Court in March of 2024 by Governor Mike Parson. She was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Judge Jeffrey L. Cox. This year she initially filed for reelection, but changed her mind in April by deciding to drop her campaign to retain her position as circuit judge. Judge Berko took to social media following her decision, “It was an honor to step into the role of Judge for Division V in the wake of Judge Cox’s unexpected death on January 5, 2024. However, over the last several months I have felt drawn to explore other professional opportunities, and I have decided not to seek retention of this seat.”

       According to her Linkedin page, in July of this year, Judge Berko joined the plaza area law firm, Stueve Siegel Hanson, LLP. Prior to being sworn in as Cass County Circuit Judge, Berko was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office, and prior to that she was the Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri from August of 2019 until September of 2021. Judge Berko graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Truman State University and attended law school at the prestigious Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.  The Men’s Center wishes Judge Berko the best in her new endeavors.

   No democrats filed to run for Berko’s former position as Division V Circuit Judge in Cass County. However, two republican candidates filed in what was Cass County’s only county-wide primary ballot in the August elections. The two republican candidates were attorneys Tiffany Tschudi and Chris Benjamin.

Tschudi served as Attorney for the Juvenile Officer in Cass County for the past 8 years.  In this role she handled domestic abuse and neglect cases in the county ensuring children were protection and families received the resources they needed to build healthy bonds.  According to her website, www.tschudiforjudge.com, she lives on a small farm with cattle, has been married for almost 20 years and has a 9-year-old son.  Her family has been a part of the Cass County farming community for generations.

No stranger to Cass County himself, candidate Chris Benjamin is a fifth-generation Cass Countian.  Benjamin has previous experience as a judge, serving a decade as a municipal judge in Cass County.  According to his website, chrisbenjaminforjudge.com, his “commitment is to ensure that Cass County courts remain a place where every person is treated with dignity and where transparency is the standard in every proceeding.”

On the day of the election, August 4, 2026, Tiffany Tschudi prevailed receiving 8061 (60 percent) vs. Benjamin’s 5474 (40 percent).  Judge James G. Eftink (Division 3) and Judge Derek Spencer (Division 4) both ran unopposed and retained their positions.

Attorney Robert Davis regularly represents men in divorce and child custody matters in Cass County, Missouri. The Men’s Center for Domestic Resolution is Kansas City’s father’s rights law firm.