A U.S. district court / Established 1822

U.S. District Court for the District of Missouri

Missouri · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Eighth Circuit.

U.S. District Court for the District of Missouri is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eighth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.

Judges in history

Currently serving

Seats over time

1 / 0

Appointed D / R

Current judges

No currently serving judges on record.

Former judges

Judge	Appointed by	Years
Robert William Wells	Jackson (D)	1836–1857
James Hawkins Peck	Monroe (N)	1822–1836

How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1822.

Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.