Selection of judges in the Supreme Court, the Missouri Court of Appeals and six of the state's urban trial courts is governed by the merit-based nonpartisan court plan. In the remaining 109 counties, voters continue to choose trial judges through partisan elections. When an interim vacancy occurs in one of these counties, the governor traditionally appoints a new judge to serve. For more information about this application process, click here: interim judicial vacancies in trial courts.
The process of filing vacancies under the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan requires the governor to select judges from a panel of three qualified applicants selected by a nonpartisan commission of citizens, lawyers and a judge. Voters then decide periodically whether to retain nonpartisan judges. For vacancies on the Supreme Court of Missouri and Missouri Court of Appeals, the nonpartisan commission is called the Appellate Judicial Commission. The six circuit courts subject to the nonpartisan plan have their own circuit judicial commissions.
Current Nonpartisan Judicial Vacancies
Circuit Courts
Sixth Judicial Circuit (Platte County):
- Special election notice: The Platte County circuit clerk reports Philip Reed Martens has been elected as the new lawyer member of the 6th Circuit Judicial Commission.
Seventh Judicial Circuit (Clay County):
- Special election notice: The Clay County circuit clerk has certified M. Andrew Roffman has been elected as the new lawyer member of the 7th Circuit Judicial Commission.
16th Judicial Circuit (Jackson County):
21st Judicial Circuit (St. Louis County):
There currently are no vacancies in St. Louis County.
22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis city):
- The commission on June 16 released demographic, interviewee and meeting information for the Hettenbach circuit judge vacancy, Mason circuit judge vacancy and Peebles associate circuit judge vacancy, all in St. Louis.
- Special election notice: The St. Louis circuit clerk has certified Patrick Hamacher has been elected as the new lawyer member of the 22nd Circuit Judicial Commission.
31st Judicial Circuit (Greene County):
There currently are no vacancies in Greene County.Missouri Court of Appeals
There are currently no vacancies on the Missouri Court of Appeals.
Supreme Court of Missouri
There are currently no vacancies on the Supreme Court of Missouri.