JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri appeals court judge will be taking over the municipal court system in Ferguson following a highly critical report by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Missouri Supreme Court said Monday that it’s assigning appeals Judge Roy Richter to hear all of Ferguson’s pending and future municipal court cases.

The Supreme Court says Richter also will have the authority to make “needed reforms” to court policies to ensure defendants’ rights are respected and to “restore the integrity of the system.”

Richter will take charge of the court on March 16.

The change comes after the Justice Department released a report last week prompted by the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. The report cited cases of racial profiling by police and criticized a profit-driven city court system.