After having spent much of their legal careers in public service, Allen Moss and Jeff Dix turned to private law practices. Both again are trying to return to public service by seeking the Cape Girardeau County Division IV associate circuit judgeship.

Dix, who worked four years as an assistant state attorney general, and Moss, who worked as an assistant county prosecutor, Cape Girardeau assistant city attorney, and assistant attorney general, face each other in Tuesday's Republican primary.

Both have waged aggressive, high-visibility campaigns focused on their legal experience and desires to serve the public as a judge. The winner will face Democrat Pete Statler of Jackson in the Nov. 8 general election.

Division IV Judge Marybelle Mueller, a Democrat, didn't seek re-election.

Moss, 33, said he decided to run because the type and variety of cases handled by the court are interesting.

"My private law practice is quite successful, but since leaving public service work I have found it is not quite as rewarding," said Moss. "I feel this job presented a lot of opportunities to help the community and help people make a difference in their lives."

Dix, 34, said he has wanted to be a judge since boyhood. "It's the reason I became a lawyer," said Dix. "The timing could not have been any better for me with the open seat, plus Division IV would give me an opportunity to set up a family court system, which Division III would not because of the type of cases it handles."

The concept of a family court is the focal point of the Dix campaign.

While there are family courts in urban areas, Dix proposes that a local-court rule be imposed by the presiding circuit judge to have every domestic relations or juvenile case start in Division IV. Dix said the plan would speed up handling of cases.

"We have a rule now that all misdemeanors and felonies start in Division III. That is our own court rule and the way we do things," said Dix. "We could do the same thing with a family court."

Dix said everything he would like to see assigned to Division IV is handled by the court at one time or another. The court still would be able to handle probate cases and associate circuit civil cases under $25,000, he said.

"I want to combine all aspects of children in one court, such as divorce, child support, paternity cases, abuse and neglect, and juvenile cases," said Dix.

Moss said he isn't opposed to the family court concept and would be willing to handle those cases if the presiding circuit judge so decided.

"The court handles a wide variety of cases, and my experience deals with the same type of cases that are assigned to Division IV," said Moss. "A lot has been said about the family court, but that does not accurately reflect cases assigned to the court now.

"I think it is something we need to look at very carefully, but it is a little too early to jump on the bandwagon with both feet. We need to study it, look at the caseload and see if it will be a benefit to the people of the county. If it will be, I am willing to take those cases and fully support establishment of a family court. But we are not at that point to commit yet until that path is fully studied.

"Each judge needs to pitch in and do his fair share and work as a team so the county as a whole can benefit," said Moss. "I'm perfectly able to handle family-type cases. The bulk of cases in my private practice are family and criminal law."

Dix said his second major issue is juvenile crime. He cited a FBI report released this week that shows between 1988 and 1992 violent crimes rose 69 percent among juveniles.

"This is one of the problems we can address in a family court system," said Dix. "Most of your violent juvenile offenders come from violent homes themselves. They go from abused and neglected cases to violent offenders. If you have them in the same court system, they could be monitored better with the same judge because some of these cases go on for years.

"The single-most serious issue we face now is, what do we do with our kids? How do we keep violent juveniles from becoming violent adults?"

Dix said he has five years of private practice experience compared to one year by Moss, has a direction for Division IV, and has the desire and experience to handle family cases.

Moss said he has the most trial experience and time in the courtroom. From that time, Moss said he knows rules of procedures and evidence for trials.

Said Moss: "I have worked at every level of government and private practice. I have a different perspective and can see things from all sides. I think that is important in a judge. I can promise the public I will work hard, be honest and fair, and will be impartial and give everyone an opportunity to be heard and treated with the respect they deserve when they go into the courtroom."

Both said the 32nd Judicial Circuit they would serve is one of the best in the state. Dix said the circuit has met 20 of the 22 goals established for each circuit by the state. They do not have to be met until 1997.

Moss said it is important to apply common sense to the judicial process to insure the system works for everyone.

"After people leave the courtroom they have to live with whatever decision the court makes, said Moss. "We must fashion a ruling in a manner that is practical for folks when they leave the courtroom and try to live by it," he said.

Moss has the endorsement of three county officials: Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep, Sheriff Norman Copeland, and Associate Commissioner E.C. Younghouse. They, along with Diane Edwards, Karen Mogelnicki, and former county commissioner Leonard Sander make up his election committee.

Moss is a native of Cairo. His father, Allen Moss Sr., served as a city councilman and mayor at Cairo for 16 years. He came to Cape Girardeau in 1979 to attend Southeast Missouri State, and received his law degree from Southern Illinois University. He taught in the department of criminal justice at Southeast and served on the county Enhanced 911 advisory board.

He and his wife, Katie, and stepdaughter Courtney, live in Jackson. They attend First Baptist Church there.

Dix, originally from Wisconsin, earned his bachelor-of-science and law degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After practicing in Poplar Bluff, Dix took a job in 1987 with the attorney general's criminal appeals and federal litigation divisions. In September 1988 he moved to Jackson to open a satellite office for the attorney general. In March 1991 he opened his law office in Jackson.

Dix and his wife, Hope, have three children. They attend St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau.