Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) appointed Robin Ransom to the Missouri Supreme Court on May 24. Ransom was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Laura Denvir Stith, who retired on March 8. Ransom is Parson’s first appointee to the state’s highest court.
Under Missouri law, the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission selects supreme court judges according to the Missouri Plan. When a seat on the court becomes vacant, the commission submits three names to the governor to determine the replacement. If the governor fails to nominate a replacement from the list, the responsibility goes to the commission.
Ransom has served as a judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District since her appointment to that court by Gov. Parson in January 2019. Ransom previously served as a circuit court judge for the 22nd Circuit Court in Missouri. Governor Matt Blunt (R) appointed her to the position on Sept. 11, 2008, and she was retained by voters in 2010 and 2016. Ransom earned a B.A. in political science and sociology from Rutgers University’s Douglass College in 1988 and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1991.
In 2021, there have been 11 supreme court vacancies in nine of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. The vacancies have all been caused by retirements.
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