ST. LOUIS – There are 52 nonpartisan judges are on Missouri ballots this November. At least two of them will be on every ballot statewide.

The Missouri Bar serves tens of thousands of the state’s practicing attorneys. Their non-partisan independent committee is called “The Missouri Judicial Performance Review.” It was created in 1944 by order of the Missouri Supreme Court.

For decades, the committee has reviewed the performance of nonpartisan judges up for retention. If a judge has recently finished serving on the bench for at least a year or nears the end of a term, he or she is up for retention in the next closest general election so long as the committee gives a recommendation.


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The committee considers a variety of information about each judge, including lawyers’ ratings of judges, jurors’ ratings of some trial judges, and written opinions from judges. A recommendation from the committee determines that the judge substantially meets the overall judicial performance standard and will appear on the next general election ballot.

Once up for retention, a simple majority of “yes” votes, at least more than 50% of voters, allows the judge in office for a full term. Unlike judges in the federal system, judges in Missouri do not serve for life, but rather designated terms.

Voters might not know all the names of the names of the judges or know much about their decisions. There are resources to help you make an informed decision, many available through YourMissouriJudges.org.

Judges up for retention in the Nov. 8 election include those representing the Supreme Court of Missouri, five circuit courts and three courts of appeals districts.

Supreme Court of Missouri

Zel M. FischerRobin Ransom

Fischer and Ransom will appear on every statewide ballot.

Missouri Court of Appeals

Alok AhujaKelly C. BroniecDon E. Burrell Jr.Thomas C. Clark IIMichael E. GardnerJack GoodmanKaren MitchellMark PfeifferDouglas ThomsonJohn P. Torbitzky

A few of these names could appear on your ballots, depending on your place of polling in Missouri.

St. Louis City Judges

CIRCUIT JUDGES

John Bird Bryan HettenbachDavid MasonChristopher McGraughMichael Mullen

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

Barbara Pebbles

St. Louis County Judges

CIRCUIT JUDGES

Jason DodsonThomas AbusWilliam CorriganEllen Levy

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

Mondonna GhasediJoseph L. GreenJohn LasaterAmanda Bundren McNeleyJeffrey P. MedlerJulia Pusateri LasaterEllen Wyatt Dunne

Clay County Judges

CIRCUIT JUDGES

Shane T. Alexander

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

Karen Krauser

Greene County Judges

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

T. Todd MyersMargaret PalmiettoMark Powell

Jackson County Judges

CIRCUIT JUDGES

S. Margene BurnettAdam L. CaineSarah A. CastleJoel P. FahnestockJennifer PhillipsBryan RoundJ. Dale YoungsJerri Zhang

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

Jessica AgnellyKea Bird-RileyJeffrey BushurSusan LongTwila RigbyMary Frances WeirR. Travis Willingham

Platte County Judges

CIRCUIT JUDGES

Thomas C. FinchmanW. Ann Hansbrough

ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGES

Megan Benton

The Missouri Judicial Performance Review finds all of these judges substantially meet overall judicial performance standards.

The election is on Nov. 8. FOX 2 will provide results and live coverage after the polls close. For FOX 2’s in-depth Voter’s Guide on the November 2022 election, click here.