21 April 2021
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Appellate Judicial Commission is accepting applications for judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, to fill the impending vacancy to be created by the August 2, 2021, retirement of Judge Mary Kathryn Hoff after more than three decades of judicial service. A St. Louis native, Hoff earned her bachelor of science in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her law degree from Saint Louis University. She began her legal career as an assistant public defender in St. Louis from 1978 through 1982, after which she was in the private practice of law until her May 1989 appointment as a St. Louis circuit judge. In December 1995, she was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, for which she served as chief judge from July 2000 through June 2001 and again since January 2021.
Citizens are encouraged to nominate well-qualified candidates for the commission’s consideration. The Missouri Constitution requires that a judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals 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. Nominations should be submitted to the commission by e-mail at EDJudgeVacancy@courts.mo.gov, or by postal mail to Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District Judge Vacancy, Post Office Box 150, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The nomination form is available below.
Public nomination form: Word PDF
Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2021. Interested persons may download the application and instructions below.
Application: Word PDF
Instructions for applicants: Word PDF
Guidelines for references: Word PDF
The commission expects to meet Tuesday and Wednesday, June 29 and 30, 2021, at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District in the Old Post Office at 815 Olive Street in St. Louis, to interview applicants and select a panel of three nominees for the governor’s consideration. The interviews will be open to the public. The names of those to be interviewed and information relating to the number and characteristics of all applicants will be released publicly prior to the interviews.
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Note: Links to application materials typically are disabled after the deadline passes.
Contact: Beth S. Riggert
Communications Counsel
Supreme Court of Missouri
(573) 751-3676