“When the car stopped, I knew that God had directed it. He had kept me safe,” Zellweger said.

Over a decade later, Zellweger recalls this scene as a moment when her faith was reinforced — the same faith that has helped form her as a mother of two sons, Parish School of Religion (PSR) teacher and judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri.

Zellweger was appointed a circuit judge by Gov. Mike Parson in February after serving as an associate circuit judge since 2019.

“It’s an honor to serve as a judge, but it has a lot of responsibility,” Zellweger said. “You are making decisions that are affecting people’s lives, and I take that very seriously.”

With her rulings bound solely by the law, Zellweger allows her Catholic faith to shine through her personality.

“Being Catholic is who I am,” Zellweger said. “The Catholic faith informs how I treat people in and out of court.”

Recognizing every individual’s dignity, Zellweger seeks to listen and provide human support to each person she encounters in court.

“With family court, I often sit down with the parties,” Zellweger said. “I like to talk with the parents, with the families about why they are here in court and how I can help resolve their case so that we can avoid a prolonged case or trial and see how we can put the children first.”

Faith has influenced Zellweger from an early age. Growing up in New Jersey, she attended PSR and was inspired in the faith by her mother, who also taught PSR. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia, Zellweger attended Yale Divinity School to study religion and grow spiritually.

“I didn’t want a purely academic study of religion, because my faith was so important,” Zellweger said. “I wanted to go to a place where they had Mass every day and a Catholic Student Association that was active. I wanted a sense of community that Yale had to offer.”

Divinity school served as an opportunity for Zellweger to dive deeper into the faith she loved. After Yale, she returned her sights to law, earning her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Upon graduation, she joined a St. Louis-based law firm, working on civil litigation and business trials.

She began attending daily Mass at St. Joseph Parish in Clayton during her lunch hour. There, she was immersed in a vibrant faith community — one she hasn’t left.

“The devotion that I see from so many people at St. Joseph is inspirational,” Zellweger said. “In PSR, there is a real sense of family amongst the teachers, director and priests.”

Five years ago, Zellweger decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and start teaching PSR classes at St. Joseph. There, she has taught pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade classes.

“I love teaching first-graders; they are so interested in learning,” Zellweger said. “My sons really love coming down to my classroom and talking to my students, so it has become a family thing, and it is very important to us to have that community.”

When Zellweger applied to be a judge, the St. Joseph PSR community supported Zellweger, writing letters to then-Gov. Eric Greitens and Gov. Parson on her behalf.

“Nicole is an amazing teacher and mother. As a woman of faith, she fits in her vast duties as a judge to serve as a catechist for our PSR,” said Gary Lang, St. Joseph PSR director.

Zellweger had always wanted to be a lawyer, so it was only after a friend’s suggestion and an intense period of discernment that she took a leap of faith and applied for her judgeship.

“After a lot of discernment and praying about whether it would be a good fit for me, I really feel like it became a calling,” Zellweger said. “It is a long process, and I just felt like if it would ever be my time, then it would be, and I left it in God’s hands.”

Heart-wrenching cases cross Zellweger’s desk daily, but when she sees a case resolved, it makes the job worth it.

“It is rewarding when we can help people and they leave court in a way that is positive,” she said.

>> St. Thomas More

On June 22, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of those in legal professions. St. Thomas More was a lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He opposed King Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church and refused to accept him as the head of the Church of England. He spent much of his life writing in defense of the Catholic Church. He was executed in 1535.