Supreme Court of Missouri
- Missouri’s highest court
- Made up of seven judges from different areas of the state with diverse backgrounds in the law
- Decides many of the most important – and often most controversial – legal issues affecting Missouri citizens, businesses, organizations and government
- Only the United States Supreme Court can overturn a decision of the Supreme Court of Missouri
Court of Appeals
- Divided into three geographic districts to be more accessible to local citizens:
- Eastern District – Based in St. Louis, its 14 judges hear cases from 25 counties and the city of St. Louis
- Southern District – With offices in both Springfield and Poplar Bluff, its seven judges hear cases from 44 counties
- Western District – Based in Kansas City, its 11 judges hear cases from 45 counties
- Required to decide all cases brought to it – most appeals must begin here; only a handful may be taken directly to the Supreme Court
- Hears cases in three-judge panels
Circuit Courts
- The local county courts, which are organized into 46 circuits; there is at least one courthouse in all 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis
- More than 1.4 million cases are filed each year in Missouri’s county circuit courts, ranging from city traffic tickets to cases involving divorce and child custody to murder cases
- Although some cases result in jury trials, many more cases brought in these courts can be decided solely by the local judge
Judicial Selection
- All Missouri judges are subject to voter approval by election each new term, though their initial selection varies
- The nonpartisan plan governs selection and retention of judges in the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri Court of Appeals, and five of the county circuit courts (Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in the Kansas City area; both the county and city of St. Louis; and Greene County in the Springfield area)
- Through the nonpartisan plan, nominating commissions made up of citizens, lawyers and a judge review applications, interview candidates and nominate three well-qualified individuals for the governor’s consideration - who has 60 days to select one of the nominees
- Voters in Missouri’s remaining 109 counties elect their local judges during regular elections; elected judges must run for reelection at the end of each term
