Judicial Vacancies

Skip breadcrumb navigation and go to main content
Home Missouri Courts Home Judicial Vacancies
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.

Judicial commission elections

Voting closed at midnight, November 4 for attorneys eligible under Rule 10 to vote for lawyer members of the 6th, 7th and 31st circuit judicial commissions and for the Southern District lawyer member of the Appellate Judicial Commission. See available election results below.

Current Nonpartisan Judicial Vacancies

Circuit Courts

Sixth Judicial Circuit (Platte County):

  • There currently are no vacancies in Platte County.
  • Judicial commission election: Voting closed at midnight Tuesday, November 4 for attorneys eligible under Rule 10 to vote for a new lawyer member of the 6th Circuit Judicial Commission.

Seventh Judicial Circuit (Clay County):
  • There currently are no vacancies in Clay County.
  • Judicial commission election: Voting closed at midnight Tuesday, November 4 for attorneys eligible under Rule 10 to vote for a new lawyer member of the 7th Circuit Judicial Commission.

16th Judicial Circuit (Jackson County):
 

21st Judicial Circuit (St. Louis County):

  • The commission on October 21 nominated Chastidy Dillon-Amelung, Bridget Halquist and Nicolette Klapp for the Albus circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis County.  

22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis city):

  • The commission on October 1 nominated Nicole Colbert-Botchway, Karma Johnson and Patrick Richmond for the Hettenbach circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis.
  • The commission on October 1 nominated Tanja Engelhardt, Brooke Hurst and Michael Walton for the Peebles associate circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis. 

31st Judicial Circuit (Greene County):

  • There currently are no vacancies in Greene County.
  • Judicial commission election: Voting closed at midnight Tuesday, November 4 for attorneys eligible under Rule 10 to vote for a new lawyer member of the 31st Circuit Judicial Commission.


Missouri Court of Appeals

  •  The Appellate Judicial Commission on October 29 released demographic, interviewee and meeting information for the Stevens vacancy on the Eastern District appeals court.
  • The governor on October 22 Sikeston lawyer Bryan Nickell for the Sheffield vacancy on the Southern District appeals court.
  • Judicial commission election: Jeffrey Bauer was elected as the Southern District attorney member of the Appellate Judicial Commission.

Supreme Court of Missouri

There are currently no vacancies on the Supreme Court of Missouri. 

Back to top