Missouri Court of Appeals

 

Missouri Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	32
Salary:	Associates: $188,267
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Judges

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Rebeca McKelvey	March 18, 2024 - Present	Mike Parson
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

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

Map of Missouri Appellate Districts

Former judges

• Mary Sheffield
• Clifford Ahrens
• Robert Barney
• Kathianne Knaup Crane
• Robert Dowd
• William W. Francis, Jr.
• Ginger Gooch
• Mary Kathryn Hoff
• Gary W. Lynch
• Lawrence Mooney
• Thomas Newton
• Kurt Odenwald
• Nancy Steffen Rahmeyer
• Roy Richter
• Kenneth Romines
• Daniel Scott
• James Smart
• Sherri Sullivan

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.

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).

Chief judge

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

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.

Salary

In 2024, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $188,267, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Elections

2024

See also: Missouri intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

The terms of 10 Missouri intermediate appellate court judges expired on December 31, 2024. The 10 seats were up for retention election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was August 27, 2024.

Candidates and results

Eastern District

Wright's seat

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

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It has been certified. Source

Gaertner seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Gary Gaertner Jr.'s seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Clayton's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Robert M. Clayton III's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Hardin-Tammons' seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Renee Hardin-Tammons' seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Stevens' seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Southern District

Borthwick's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District, Becky Borthwick's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Growcock's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District, Jennifer Growcock's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Western District

Witt's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Gary D. Witt's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Martin's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Cynthia Lynette Martin's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Sutton's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Janet Sutton's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

2022

See also: Missouri intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

The terms of 12 Missouri intermediate appellate court judges expired on December 31, 2022. The 12 seats were up for retention election on November 8, 2022.

Candidates and results

Goodman's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District, Jack Goodman's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Gardner's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Michael Gardner's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Pfeiffer's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Mark D. Pfeiffer's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Broniec's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Kelly Broniec's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Thomson's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Doug Thomson's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Burrell's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District, Don Burrell's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Mitchell's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Karen Mitchell's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Clark's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, Thomas Clark's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Ahuja's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, Alok Ahuja's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Torbitzky's seat

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District, John Torbitzky's seat

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

---

It has been certified. Source

Judges not on the ballot

• Cristian M. Stevens

2020

See also: Missouri intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

The terms of seven Missouri Court of Appeals justices expired on December 31, 2020. The seven seats were up for retention election on November 3, 2020. A full term on the court is 12 years.

Candidates and results

Western District

Chapman's seat

General election candidates

• Thomas N. Chapman  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Southern District

Lynch's seat

General election candidates

• Gary W. Lynch  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Eastern District

Odenwald's seat

General election candidates

• Kurt S. Odenwald  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Ransom's seat

General election candidates

• Robin Ransom  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

2018

See also: Missouri intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

Candidates and results

Southern District

Bates' seat

General election candidates

• Jeffrey W. Bates  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Eastern District

Dolan's seat

General election candidates

• Colleen Dolan  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Page's seat

General election candidates

• Lisa P. Page  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

Western District

Ardini's seat

General election candidates

• Edward Ardini  (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔

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	Primary Vote	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

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"

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

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

• Elections in Missouri
• United States congressional delegations from Missouri
• Public policy in Missouri
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See also

Missouri	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Missouri Missouri Court of Appeals Missouri Supreme Court	Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Missouri	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Your Missouri Courts, "Judges of the Missouri Eastern Appellate District"
• Your Missouri Courts, "Judges of the Missouri Southern Appellate District"
• Your Missouri Courts, "Judges of the Missouri Western Appellate District"

Footnotes

Missouri courts

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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