Judge Collins was selected as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri beginning on December 1, 2013. Prior to that, she worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, specializing in human trafficking prosecutions, for the last three years of her nearly ten year-tenure as a federal prosecutor. Judge Collins began her legal career in private practice with concentrations in commercial litigation and employment law and client counseling. Judge Collins serves on several District Court committees, including the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and the Criminal Justice Act Committee. She is also a presiding judge over the Janis C. Good Mental Health Court. Judge Collins received her J.D. from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and her MSJ and BSJ in journalism from Northwestern University. Prior to law school, Judge Collins worked as a magazine editor in New York City.