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Politics & Government

Military Veteran Eisenstein Says He Has the Leadership Skills To Be Judge

The longtime area lawyer believes his military experience and legal career make him the right person for the job.

Joel Eisenstein, a twice-decorated veteran of the Vietnam War and a recipient of the Purple Heart, believes there is one solid reason he should be ’s next municipal judge.

"Because I’m the most qualified candidate," he said.

Eisenstein, who lives in O’Fallon, is running against incumbent Mike Carter and challengers Andrew Koor, Michael Kruse and Stephen Martin. Jay Lenox has withdrawn from the race, although his name will remain on the ballot.

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Eisenstein, 65, began his career as a clerk for a federal appellate judge. He spent two years as an assistant prosecuting attorney in , also serving as a special prosecutor in the counties of Lincoln, Montgomery and Warren. Eisenstein was a city attorney and a city prosecutor in Lake Saint Louis. He was the first judge in Foristell, MO for eight years, and then a provisional judge there for another six years.

He was co-editor of an edition of the criminal law and procedure manual produced by the Missouri Bar Association. He has also lectured about criminal law for the Missouri Bar. Over the course of a career that began in 1974, he has practiced criminal, family and real estate law.

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"I’ve tried more criminal cases, myself, as lead counsel, than all the other candidates combined," Eisenstein said. "I do a lot of trial work. I get hired by other lawyers to go to trial in cases they don’t like to try. I have an active trial practice. I’m in front of judges and juries all the time."

Eisenstein earned his undergraduate degree in 1967 and his law degree in 1974, both from the University of Missouri. In between degrees, Eisenstein served in the Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972. He was in Vietnam from 1970 to 1972, first as a platoon leader, then as a company commander, and ultimately achieved the rank of captain, he said.

Eisenstein was involved in the Easter Offensive, a huge attack by the North Vietnamese which began March 30, 1972.

"It was like World War II," he said. "They invaded South Vietnam with tanks and artillery and missiles and overran the northern part of Quang Tri Province. They also overran some parts close to Saigon. It was a three-pronged attack. They ended up calling it the Easter Offensive. It was a battle that lasted for months, initially."

Eisenstein’s part in that battle got him mentioned in some books about the war.

"The only thing that I’m really proud of is a chapter title ‘This Is No Place For a Nice Jewish Boy.’ That was my comment after we had been overrun and we were rescued," he said. "My battalion commander, who was a lieutenant colonel at the time and ended up with three stars as chief of staff in the Marine Corps called me on the field radio and said, ‘What’s your status up there?’ My response to him was, ‘This is no place for a nice Jewish boy.’ He’s in his 80s and still teases me about that, as do some of my other friends who stayed in the Marine Corps and pass that story around. There weren’t a lot of Jewish officers in the Marine Corps."

Military service honed Eisenstein’s ability as a leader.

"Serving as an officer in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, being twice decorated for heroism and the recipient of a Purple Heart indicates that I have significant leadership skills," he said. "(These skills) helped transfer into the practice of law and also helped me when I was the first municipal judge in Foristell. I formed that court back in 1990."

If elected, Eisenstein plans to assess the court and its proceedings.

"I don’t think it’s appropriate to go in and change anything until you are familiar with it and understand how it works," Eisenstein said. "I know how to run a court, whether it be a municipal court or an associate or circuit court, because of my participation in that area for so many years. But if I were to be elected, and after I was in office, and I was able to observe what their procedures are, would I make changes? If I thought they were in the best interest of the public, I would."

Eisenstein said the court system should be easy for the public to understand.

"One of the things that I think a lot of the candidates, and a lot of judges in general miss out on, is that we’re there to serve the public," he said. "It’s not the other way around. They don’t serve us. So you want to devise a system that’s user-friendly, that makes it easy for people to get in and get out. Oftentimes the only contact that anybody has with courts is in municipal courts for traffic violations, things like that. So that impression you make on people is very important."

Eisenstein does not have a website, is not on Facebook and doesn’t have a Twitter feed. His campaign has been low key and is based on reputation.

"With so many people in the race, you know, it’s a crapshoot," he said. "I really have done no campaigning of any kind. ... I think I’m well known enough, I’ve been out here for so long, that there are enough people who will recognize my name."

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