Appellate Judicial Commission releases demographic, interviewee, meeting information for Sheffield vacancy on Missouri Court of Appeals

11 August 2025

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Pursuant to Rule 10.28(d), the Appellate Judicial Commission announces the following demographic information relating to applicants for the vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, created by the July 2025 retirement of Judge Mary W. Sheffield.

There are 10 applicants, of whom four are female. None reports being a minority applicant. Six are employed outside the Springfield metropolitan area. Nine applicants work in the public sector, and one works in the private sector. Of those in the public sector, seven are judges. The applicants’ mean age is 49.4 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; 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 announces it will interview all 10 applicants:

The commission is expected to conduct interviews beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 26, at Hotel Vandivort, 305 East Walnut Street, in Springfield. Interviews are open to the public, subject to available seating; they will not be available online.

The commission is expected to meet at approximately 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, August 26, after interviews conclude, at Hotel Vandivort to select the three nominees from this applicant pool for the governor’s consideration. 

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Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676