JEFFERSON CITY – The Appellate Judicial Commission is accepting applications for judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri to fill the vacancy to be created by the August 4, 2023, retirement of Judge George W. Draper III after nearly three decades of judicial service.
Draper earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta and his law degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. After clerking for a year for a judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court, Draper worked for a decade in the St. Louis city circuit attorney’s office, ending his career there as first assistant. He was appointed in July 1994 as an associate circuit judge in St. Louis County and was appointed a circuit judge there four years later. In May 2000, he was elevated to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, where he served as chief judge from July 2005 through June 2006. In October 2011, Draper was appointed to the Supreme Court of Missouri and, from July 2019 through June 2021, served as the state’s second African American chief justice. His retirement from the bench is mandated by article V, section 26 of the Missouri Constitution.
Citizens are encouraged to nominate well-qualified candidates for the commission’s consideration. The Missouri Constitution requires that a judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri be at least 30 years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri, a United States citizen for at least 15 years and a qualified Missouri voter for at least nine years next preceding selection. Nominations should be submitted to the commission by e-mail at JudgeVacancy@courts.mo.gov, or by postal mail to Appellate Judicial Commission, Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Vacancy, Post Office Box 150, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The nomination form is available below.
Public nomination form: Word | PDF
Applications will be accepted until noon Friday, July 21, 2023. Interested persons may download the application materials and instructions below.
Instructions for applicants: Word | PDF
Guidelines for references: Word | PDF
The commission has reserved Monday, August 21 through Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at the Supreme Court Building, 207 West High Street, in Jefferson City to interview applicants and select a panel of three nominees for the governor’s consideration. The interviews will be open to the public. The names of applicants to be interviewed as well as information relating to the number and characteristics of all applicants will be released publicly prior to the interviews.