27 June 2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Appellate Judicial Commission now is accepting applications for the position of judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., effective July 31. Judge Limbaugh, who has served 16 years on the Supreme Court and nearly five years as a circuit judge before that, has been appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

This is the first appellate vacancy since the Supreme Court adopted amended rules in late February that provide greater openness into the process the state's judicial commissions follow in nominating individuals for judicial vacancies on nonpartisan courts. These rules – which require the commission to announce the time, date and place of its meeting; to provide certain demographic information about the applicant pool prior to this meeting; and to make public the three nominees' applications – make the process more public while still encouraging well-qualified applicants to apply.

Applications may be filed until 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, 2008, but earlier submission is strongly encouraged. After conducting individual interviews of applicants, the commission will meet Thursday, August 21, 2008, at the Supreme Court in Jefferson City to select a panel of three applicants for submission to the governor.

Interested persons may download an application and accompanying rules and instructions below.

Application: in Microsoft Word in PDF

Instructions for Applicants: in Microsoft Word in PDF

Guidelines for References: in Microsoft Word in PDF

All applicants, including those who have applied previously for other vacancies, must file a new application.

The Missouri Constitution requires that a judge of the Supreme Court be at least 30 years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri, a United States citizen for at least 15 years and a qualified Missouri voter for at least nine years next preceding selection.

Note: Links to application materials typically are disabled after the application deadline passes.

Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676