Missouri Court of Appeals

	Missouri Court of Appeals
	Court information
Judges:	32
Salary:	Associates: $191,479
	Judicial selection
Method:	Assisted appointment
Term:	12 years

Judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

Judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District

Judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District

The Missouri Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state of Missouri. The court of appeals handles appeals from the circuit courts. In Missouri, the appellate court system is divided into three districts: eastern, western and southern.^[2]

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is the state's largest appellate court, with offices located in the historic Old Post Office building in downtown St. Louis. The court is composed of 14 judges who handle approximately 50 percent of the intermediate appellate caseload in Missouri, covering 25 counties and the city of St. Louis. Oral arguments are regularly conducted in St. Louis, Clayton, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau and other locations within the Eastern District.^[3]

Based on the number of counties in its jurisdiction (45), the Western District is the state's largest intermediate appellate court, and is located in its own courthouse in downtown Kansas City. The court is composed of 11 judges and handles almost 40 percent of the appellate caseload in Missouri. Oral arguments are normally conducted in Kansas City but are also conducted in Jefferson City, Colombia, St. Joseph, Kirksville, and other Western District locations.^[4]

The Southern District has offices in Springfield, Mo., and maintains a courthouse and chambers in Poplar Bluff. Oral arguments are regularly conducted in both locations. The court is composed of seven judges, and its jurisdiction covers 44 counties in southern Missouri.^[5]

The court of appeals handles all appeals except those in the supreme court's exclusive jurisdiction: challenges to the validity of a United States statute or treaty, the validity of a state constitutional provision or statute, cases requiring construction of revenue laws, the title to state office and cases where the death penalty is imposed.

Court of appeals cases may be appealed to the supreme court. However, historically, the supreme court hears less than 10 percent of appeals. Thus, for the vast majority of appeals, the court of appeals decision is final.^[6]

Procedure

In an appeal, the court receives a record of what occurred in the circuit court. Typically, each side files a publicly available brief featuring arguments and the basis for them, such as past court decisions and laws. Each side is allowed to present an oral argument and answer questions from the judges. After the arguments, the judges determine whether the trial court made any prejudicial mistakes. In researching and deciding opinions, the court considers the briefs and oral arguments, as well as the transcripts, pleadings and exhibits from the trial.^[6]

Published opinions of the Missouri Court of Appeals can be found here.

Judges

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Michael S. Wright	September 22, 2023 - Present	Mike Parson
Angela T. Quigless	April 12, 2012 - Present	Jay Nixon
James M. Dowd	June 3, 2015 - Present	Jay Nixon
Gary Gaertner Jr.	March 11, 2010 - Present	Jay Nixon
Lisa P. Page	2015 - Present	Jay Nixon
Thomas C. Clark II	February 26, 2021 - Present	Mike Parson
John Torbitzky	September 9, 2021 - Present	Mike Parson
Robert M. Clayton III	July 18, 2011 - Present	Jay Nixon
Philip M. Hess	November 21, 2013 - Present	Jay Nixon
Renee Hardin-Tammons	October 14, 2022 - Present	Mike Parson
Michael Gardner	2020 - Present	Mike Parson
Virginia W. Lay	November 26, 2024 - Present	Mike Parson
Rebeca McKelvey	March 18, 2024 - Present	Mike Parson
Kathleen Hamilton	January 16, 2026 - Present	Mike Kehoe

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Karen Mitchell	2009 - Present	Jay Nixon
Cynthia Lynette Martin	2009 - Present	Jay Nixon
Janet Lee Sutton	December 10, 2021 - Present	Mike Parson
Edward Ardini	2016 - Present	Jay Nixon
Anthony Rex Gabbert	April 3, 2013 - Present	Jay Nixon
Gary D. Witt	2010 - Present	Jay Nixon
Mark D. Pfeiffer	2009 - Present	Jay Nixon
Thomas N. Chapman	2018 - Present	Mike Parson
Doug Thomson	March 28, 2020 - Present	Mike Parson
Lisa White Hardwick	May 2, 2001 - Present	Bob Holden
Alok Ahuja	2007 - Present	Matt Blunt

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Jeffrey W. Bates	November 14, 2003 - Present	Bob Holden
Don Burrell	January 13, 2008 - Present	Matt Blunt
Jennifer Growcock	December 3, 2021 - Present	Mike Parson
Jack Goodman	December 31, 2020 - Present	Mike Parson
Matt Hamner	April 1, 2024 - Present	Mike Parson
Becky West	September 9, 2022 - Present	Mike Parson
Bryan Nickell	October 22, 2025 - Present	Mike Kehoe

Map of Missouri Appellate Districts

Salary

See also: Missouri court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $191,479, according to the National Center for State Courts.^[7]

Former judges

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Missouri

The judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals are chosen through assisted appointment in which the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission. When a vacancy occurs, a list of potential candidates is compiled by the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission and narrowed to three choices. From those three candidates, the governor appoints a new judge. After the newly appointed judge serves for at least one year, they must stand for retention in the next general election. If retained, they serve twelve-year terms.^[15]

Qualifications

To serve on the appeals court, a judge must be:

a U.S. citizen for at least 15 years;
a district resident;
a qualified state voter for at least nine years;
licensed to practice law in the state;
over the age of 30; and
under the age of 70 (retirement at 70 is mandatory).^[15]

Chief judge

The chief judge of each appeals court district serves a one-year term and is elected by a peer vote.^[15]

Vacancies

When a vacancy occurs, a list of potential candidates is compiled by the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission and narrowed to three choices. From those three candidates, the governor appoints a new judge. After the newly appointed judge serves for at least one year, they must stand for retention in the next general election. If retained, they serve twelve-year terms.^[15]

Elections

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Philip Hess' seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

James Dowd's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Kathleen Hamilton's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Renee Hardin-Tammons was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 5, 2024 with 65.8% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.8	665,510
	No	34.2	346,215
	Total Votes		1,011,725

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Robert M. Clayton III was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 5, 2024 with 64.0% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	64.0	650,791
	No	36.0	366,432
	Total Votes		1,017,223

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Michael S. Wright was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 5, 2024 with 62.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	62.1	619,997
	No	37.9	378,879
	Total Votes		998,876

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Cristian M. Stevens was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 5, 2024 with 61.8% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	61.8	622,575
	No	38.2	384,129
	Total Votes		1,006,704

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Gary Gaertner Jr. was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 5, 2024 with 64.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	64.1	650,044
	No	35.9	364,461
	Total Votes		1,014,505

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Becky West was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 5, 2024 with 75.0% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	75.0	454,701
	No	25.0	151,728
	Total Votes		606,429

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Jennifer Growcock was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 5, 2024 with 75.9% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	75.9	459,301
	No	24.1	145,707
	Total Votes		605,008

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Gary D. Witt was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 5, 2024 with 65.9% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.9	584,124
	No	34.1	301,946
	Total Votes		886,070

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Cynthia Lynette Martin was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 5, 2024 with 67.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	67.5	600,931
	No	32.5	289,069
	Total Votes		890,000

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Janet Lee Sutton was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 5, 2024 with 68.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	68.5	608,252
	No	31.5	279,865
	Total Votes		888,117

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Michael Gardner was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 8, 2022 with 65.4% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.4	470,674
	No	34.6	248,576
	Total Votes		719,250

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

General election

The general election scheduled for November 8, 2022, was canceled.

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Kelly C. Broniec was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 8, 2022 with 67.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	67.1	484,578
	No	32.9	238,047
	Total Votes		722,625

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Thomas C. Clark II was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 8, 2022 with 65.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.5	470,514
	No	34.5	248,059
	Total Votes		718,573

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

John Torbitzky was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 8, 2022 with 64.4% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	64.4	461,439
	No	35.6	254,896
	Total Votes		716,335

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Jack Goodman was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 8, 2022 with 76.2% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	76.2	316,291
	No	23.8	98,858
	Total Votes		415,149

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Don Burrell was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 8, 2022 with 75.7% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	75.7	314,282
	No	24.3	100,684
	Total Votes		414,966

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Karen Mitchell was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 8, 2022 with 67.2% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	67.2	409,806
	No	32.8	199,938
	Total Votes		609,744

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Doug Thomson was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 8, 2022 with 68.2% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	68.2	414,134
	No	31.8	193,365
	Total Votes		607,499

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Alok Ahuja was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 8, 2022 with 67.6% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	67.6	414,478
	No	32.4	198,954
	Total Votes		613,432

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Mark D. Pfeiffer was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 8, 2022 with 64.6% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	64.6	392,814
	No	35.4	215,386
	Total Votes		608,200

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Kurt S. Odenwald was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 3, 2020 with 67.4% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	67.4	735,671
	No	32.6	355,729
	Total Votes		1,091,400

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Robin Ransom was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 3, 2020 with 71.3% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	71.3	772,335
	No	28.7	311,584
	Total Votes		1,083,919

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Gary W. Lynch was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 3, 2020 with 79.4% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	79.4	481,731
	No	20.6	124,993
	Total Votes		606,724

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Thomas N. Chapman was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 3, 2020 with 71.7% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	71.7	653,338
	No	28.3	257,935
	Total Votes		911,273

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Colleen Dolan was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 6, 2018 with 68.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	68.5	589,604
	No	31.5	270,807
	Total Votes		860,411

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Lisa P. Page was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on November 6, 2018 with 69.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	69.1	591,757
	No	30.9	264,742
	Total Votes		856,499

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

Jeffrey W. Bates was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on November 6, 2018 with 75.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	75.1	357,000
	No	24.9	118,254
	Total Votes		475,254

The results have been certified. Source

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

Edward Ardini was retained to the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District on November 6, 2018 with 70.8% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	70.8	495,561
	No	29.2	204,396
	Total Votes		699,957

The results have been certified. Source

Previous election results

2016

Judges who faced retention

■ Philip M. Hess
■ James M. Dowd

Election results

Philip M. Hess was retained in the Missouri Court of Appeals, Hess' Seat election with 60.52% of the vote.

Missouri Court of Appeals, Hess' Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Philip M. Hess	60.52%
Source: Missouri Secretary of State Official Results

James M. Dowd was retained in the Missouri Court of Appeals, Dowd's Seat election with 61.49% of the vote.

Missouri Court of Appeals, Dowd's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
James M. Dowd	61.49%
Source: Missouri Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Retention

Judge	Election Vote
SheffieldMary Sheffield (Missouri)	69.2% A
AmburgLisa Van Amburg	67.3% A
QuiglessAngela T. Quigless	61.1% A
GabbertAnthony Rex Gabbert	65.1% A
RahmeyerNancy Steffen Rahmeyer	68.2% A
HardwickLisa White Hardwick	66.8% A

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Division	Election Vote
MartinCynthia Lynette Martin A	Yes	Western District	A
Gaertner Jr.Gary Gaertner Jr. A	Yes	Eastern District	A
WittGary Witt A	Yes	Western District	A
MooneyLawrence Mooney A	Yes	Eastern District	A
Clayton IIIRobert M. Clayton, III A	Yes	Eastern District	A
SullivanSherri Sullivan A	Yes	Eastern District	A
NewtonThomas Newton A	Yes	Western District	A
Francis Jr.William W. Francis, Jr. A	Yes	Southern District	A

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Missouri Court of Appeals. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court

This section focuses on cases the U.S. Supreme Court heard that originated in this court. To suggest cases we should cover here, email us.

2025-2026 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2025-2026

The following cases were scheduled for argument before the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2025-2026 term.

2025-2026 U.S. Supreme Court cases
Case	Opinion author	Decision	Vote
Monsanto Company v. Durnell	TBA	TBA	TBA

Ethics

The Missouri Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Missouri. It is composed of four canons:

Canon 1: "A Judge Shall Uphold and Promote the Independence, Integrity, and Impartiality of the Judiciary, and Shall Avoid Impropriety or the Appearance of Impropriety"
Canon 2: "A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially, Competently, and Diligently"
Canon 3: "A Judge Shall Conduct the Judge's Personal and Extrajudicial Activities to Minimize the Risk of Conflict with the Obligations of Judicial Office"
Canon 4: "A Judge or Candidate for Judicial Office Shall Not Engage in Political or Campaign Activity that is Inconsistent with the Independence, Integrity, or Impartiality of the Judiciary"^[16]

The full text of the Missouri Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Missouri may be removed in one of two ways:

Retirement or removal by the supreme court, on the recommendation of the commission on retirement, removal and discipline
Impeachment by the house of representatives; impeachments are tried by the supreme court, and five-sevenths of the court must concur in order to convict^[17]^[18]

State profile

Demographic data for Missouri
	Missouri	U.S.
Total population:	6,076,204	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	68,742	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	82.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	11.5%	12.6%
Asian:	1.8%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$48,173	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Missouri. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri

Missouri voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Missouri coverage on Ballotpedia

External links

Footnotes

Missouri courts

Federal courts:

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri

State courts:

Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri

[1] The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.

[2] Your Missouri Courts, "Missouri Appellate Courts"

[3] Your Missouri Courts, "Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District"

[4] Your Missouri Courts, "Missouri Court of Appeals Western District

[5] Your Missouri Courts, "Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District

[Missouri-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Your Missouri Courts, "Missouri Court of Appeals"

[7] National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025

[8] NewsTribune.com, "Nixon taps utility regulator for Mo. appeals court," July 18, 2011

[eastmeet-9] Your Missouri Courts, "Eastern District, Meet Your Judges"

[10] Your Missouri Courts, "Western District, Meet Your Judges"

[11] Your Missouri Courts, "Southern District, Meet Your Judges"

[12] Bev Darr, Hannibal Courier-Post, "Judge Cliff Ahrens retires, honored for service on Appellate Court," November 25, 2015

[13] Missouri Lawyers Media, "After four decades on the bench, Richter relishes ‘being invisible’," July 10, 2020

[14] EINNews.com, "Thomas H. Newton to retire as judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District," June 29, 2021

[MOselect-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 ^15.3 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 7, 2021

[16] Your Missouri Courts, Rule 2 -- Code of Judicial Conduct, accessed August 18, 2025

[17] Missouri Courts, "Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline," accessed August 18, 2025

[18] Missouri State Senate, "SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 33," accessed August 18, 2025

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Missouri Court of Appeals

Court information
Judges:	32
Salary:	Associates: $191,479^[1]
Judicial selection
Method:	Assisted appointment
Term:	12 years