18 November 2022

Updated 21 November 2022 with revised meeting information 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Pursuant to Supreme Court of Missouri Rule 10.28(d), the 31st Circuit Judicial Commission releases the following information relating to applicants for the circuit judge vacancy in the 31st Judicial Circuit created by the appointment of the Honorable Becky Borthwick to the Missouri Court of Appeals. There are 20 applicants, of whom 15 report that they are male, five report that they are female, and none report that they are minority applicants. Twelve applicants presently work in the private sector, and eight applicants presently work in the public sector.

As previously explained, the commission will not re-interview individuals who applied for the Mountjoy vacancy, all of whom were interviewed earlier this month. Also pursuant to Rule 10.28(d), the commission announces it will interview all four new applicants who submitted completed applications with all required materials. Interviews will be held in a randomly determined order. The applicants to be interviewed are:

Cameron Miles Casad

Steven E. Kellogg

Jared Robertson

S. Jacob Sappington 

Additionally, one applicant for the Mountjoy vacancy withdrew his application from consideration for the Borthwick, Brown and Cordonnier vacancies.

The commission will conduct interviews for the Borthwick vacancy starting at 9 a.m., Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, 300 Hammons Parkway, Springfield, Missouri, in the third-floor courtroom. The public is invited to attend and observe interviews. The commission plans to meet immediately after interviews conclude to select a panel of three nominees for the governor’s consideration.

After the governor makes his appointment to fill the Borthwick vacancy, the commission expects to reopen the application process briefly for any additional individuals who wish to be considered for the Brown vacancy, the Cordonnier vacancy, and any additional circuit judge vacancies which are announced before January 31, 2023. The commission anticipates it will interview only new applicants; it does not plan to re-interview those who interviewed for the Mountjoy or Borthwick vacancies. The commission then will meet to select – from the Mountjoy, Borthwick and Brown applicant pools – the three nominees for the Brown vacancy. The commission expects to announce the specific timeline for the reopened Brown vacancy in due course after the governor has made his selection for the Borthwick vacancy. This process will be repeated for the Cordonnier vacancy and any additional vacancies that may be announced before January 31, 2023, with all applications received and interviews conducted for the Mountjoy, Borthwick, Brown and subsequent circuit judge vacancies remaining in active consideration unless any such application is withdrawn. To the extent possible, the commission plans to address vacancies in the order that the vacancies will occur.

The members of the 31st Circuit Judicial Commission are: Jack A. L. Goodman, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District; attorneys Deborah K. Dodge and Kurt J. Larson; and lay members Kim Hancock and Dr. Fred G. McQueary.

Contact: Craig Street, Clerk of the Court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District

(417) 895-6811