STATE SENATOR, LOCAL JUDGE SEEK STATE POST
Two local names are on the list of people who have applied to become the next member of the Missouri Supreme Court.
Applicants on the list include State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Platte County and Megan Benton, who is currently associate circuit judge for the 6th Judicial Circuit in Platte County.
They are two of 23 applicants for an open seat on the state’s highest court, created by the August 2023 retirement of Judge George W. Draper III.
Luetkemeyer is an attorney who was first elected state senator in 2018 and then re-elected to a second term in 2022. He will be term-limited out of the senate seat when his current term expires.
Benton assumed office as judge for Division 4 of the 6th Judicial Associate Circuit Court in Platte County on May 12, 2021. She won a retention election in 2022. Her current term ends on Dec. 31, 2026.
The Appellate Judicial Commission says of the 23 applicants, six report they are female and one reports being a minority applicant. Four are employed outside the Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis metropolitan areas. Sixteen applicants work in the public sector, three work in the private sector and four work in both.
Of those in the private sector, three work in a solo or small-firm practice. Of those in the public sector, 15 are judges. The applicants’ average age is 47.8 years.
Rule 10.28(d) permits the commission to select from among all applicants those it wishes to interview. Historically, names of those being considered for a judicial vacancy were not released to the public; but effective September 2010, the Supreme Court of Missouri changed Rule 10 to permit the judicial commissions to release the names of those individuals being interviewed.
For this vacancy, the commission announced it will interview all 23 applicants:
Thomas C. Albus
Megan B. Benton
Becky J.W. Borthwick
Kelly C. Broniec
Sarah A. Castle
Thomas C. Clark II
Stephen S. Davis
Michael E. Gardner
Kenneth R. Garrett III
Ginger K. Gooch
Jack A.L. Goodman
Jennifer R. Growcock
Joseph B. Kloecker
Christopher K. Limbaugh
Anton H. Luetkemeyer
Shaun J. Mackelprang
Jeffery T. McPherson
David E. Roland
Cristian M. Stevens
John P. Torbitzky
David T. Tunnell
Stanley J. Wallach
Grant W. Wobig
The commission is expected to conduct interviews beginning at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21 and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the Supreme Court Building, 207 West High Street in Jefferson City. Interviews are open to the public, subject to available seating; they will not be available online.
The commission is expected to meet at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, after interviews conclude, at the Supreme Court Building to select the three nominees from this applicant pool for the governor’s consideration.
An appointment will then be made by Gov. Mike Parson.