Missouri
Missouri Supreme Court By The Numbers:
Justice
Former prosecutor
Former civil rights lawyer
Both a former prosecutor & public defender
- 7 total seats
- 0 current vacancies
- 3 prosecutors
- 1 public defender
- 1 Justice is both a former prosecutor & public defender
- 0 Justices have other indigent defense experience
- 1 civil rights lawyer
How Members of the Missouri Supreme Court are Selected:
Appointment, Retention Election
The governor appoints a justice from a list of three potential candidates submitted by the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission, which consists of the chief justice, three geographically representative lawyers elected by the lawyers of The Missouri Bar, and three geographically representative citizens selected by the governor who are members for six years. The judge appointed by the governor stands for a retention election in the next general election after their appointment. If retained, justices serve 12-year terms.
Selection method sources:
Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State; Brennan Center for Justice, Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map; Missouri Court, Appellate Judicial Commission