BENTON GOES TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
The Sixth Circuit Judicial Commission is accepting applications for the position of circuit judge, Division I of the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Platte County).
This position is being created by the appointment of The Honorable Megan B. Benton to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Article V, section 21 of the Missouri Constitution requires that a circuit judge be at least 30 years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri, a citizen of the United States for at least 10 years, a qualified voter in Missouri for the three years preceding selection, and a resident of the Sixth Judicial Circuit for at least one year.
Citizens are encouraged to nominate well-qualified candidates for the commission’s consideration. Nominations should be submitted to the contact person listed below.
For those interested in applying, the application and instructions are available below.
The commission must receive all completed applications for this vacancy by 4 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2026.
The commission plans to meet Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Platte County Courthouse, 415 3rd Street, in Platte City, to conduct public interviews of the applicants and to select a panel of three nominees for the vacancy.
Further details regarding the interviews, including the manner in which applicants and the public will participate, will be announced at a later date. Upon receipt of the nominations, the governor of the State of Missouri will have 60 days to appoint one of the three nominees as circuit judge in Division I of the Platte County circuit court.
Members of the commission are Anthony Rex Gabbert, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District; attorneys Phillip Reed Martens and Pamela J. Welch; and lay members Carla Killen and D. Duane Soper.
