ST. LOUIS—Efforts to staff up the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to handle a backlog of cases involving violent crimes took a large step forward Tuesday with the announcement that eight Assistant U.S. Attorneys would be sworn in and “cross-designated” to handle cases in both jurisdictions.

Six U.S. Attorneys were sworn in to serve in the Circuit Attorney’s Office Tuesday, with two more expected in the coming weeks and “several more” on top of that later this summer, according to a news release. 

The list of attorneys announced Tuesday includes Hal Goldsmith, who has prosecuted some of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s highest profile cases involving public corruption. The lawyers will continue to manage their federal caseloads but will prosecute homicide cases for the city of St. Louis.

The announcement comes almost a month to the day since Gabe Gore was sworn in as St. Louis Circuit Attorney, replacing Kim Gardner, who resigned in the face of state legislative pressure and legal maneuvers seeking her removal. Experienced prosecutors had left the office in the face of growing caseloads in recent years, which often meant cases were dropped and re-filed, leading to years of delays.

Tuesday’s announcement said 12 attorneys have been hired since Gore’s arrival. That includes members of his senior staff, including Marvin Teer, who returned to the office as Chief Trial Attorney, and Mary Pat Carl, who returned to lead the Circuit Attorney’s Homicide division.

Prosecutors in St. Louis County and St. Charles County, among others, have provided attorneys and other staff to help in the city of St. Louis over the last month.