A state court of last resort / Established 1931

Supreme Court of Missouri

Jefferson City · A court of last resort in Missouri.

The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest court in Missouri. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating commission, followed by retention elections. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Merit selection

Selection

12-yr

Term

Current justices

Justice	Since
Laura Denvir Stith	2001
Richard B. Teitelman	2002
Mary Rhodes Russell	2004
Patricia Breckenridge	2007
Zel Fischer	2008
George W. Draper III	2011
Paul C. Wilson	2012

Former justices

Justice	Years
Michael A. Wolff	1998–2011
Ronnie Lee White	1995–2007
Stephen Nathaniel Limbaugh Jr.	1992–2008
William Ray Price Jr.	1992–2012
William Duane Benton	1991–2004
Elwood L. Thomas	1991–1995
Ann K. Covington	1989–2001
John C. Holstein	1989–2002
Edward D. Robertson Jr.	1985–1998
William Howard Billings	1982–1991
Charles Blakey Blackmar	1982–1992
George F. Gunn Jr.	1982–1985
Andrew Jackson Higgins	1979–1991
Warren Dee Welliver	1979–1989
Joseph J. Simeone	1978–1979
Albert L. Rendlen	1977–1992
John E. Bardgett	1970–1982
John E. Bargett	1970–1982
June P. Morgan	1969–1982
Robert Eldridge Seiler	1967–1982
Robert Donnelly	1965–1988
James A. Finch Jr.	1965–1978
Fred L. Henley	1964–1978
Lawrence Holman	1963–1977
Clem F. Storckman	1956–1970
Henry I. Eager	1955–1968
Henry J. Westhues	1954–1963
Henry J. Westues	1954–1963
Sidna Poage Dalton	1950–1965
Frank Hollingsworth	1950–1964
Roscoe P. Conkling	1947–1954
Laurance M. Hyde	1943–1967
Albert Montgomery Clark	1939–1950
James Marsh Douglas	1937–1949
Charles A. Leedy Jr.	1933–1964
Ernest Moss Tipton	1933–1955
George Robb Ellison	1931–1955

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Supreme Court of Missouri are appointed by the governor to 12-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. The original Missouri Plan: the Appellate Judicial Commission nominates, the governor appoints, then retention elections for 12-year terms. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).