6 August 2021
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Appellate Judicial Commission is accepting applications for judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, to fill the vacancy created by the July 6, 2021, retirement of Judge Thomas H. Newton after nearly three decades of judicial service. After earning his undergraduate and law degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C., Newton clerked for the late Judge Lewis Clymer at the 16th Judicial Circuit (Jackson County) before serving first as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County and then an assistant United States district attorney for the Western District of Missouri. He was appointed a circuit judge in Jackson County in 1993 and was elevated in 1999 to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, where he served as chief judge from July 2008 through June 2010.
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 WDJudgeVacancy@courts.mo.gov, or by postal mail to Appellate Judicial Commission, Western 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, September 3, 2021. Interested persons may download the application and instructions below.
Application: Word PDF
Authorization: Word PDF
Instructions for applicants: Word PDF
Guidelines for references: Word PDF
The commission expects to meet Tuesday through Thursday, October 12 through 14, 2021, at the Supreme Court of Missouri, at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, 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 application deadline passes.
Contact: Beth S. Riggert
Communications Counsel
Supreme Court of Missouri
(573) 751-3676