U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
U.S. District Court for the Western 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.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Howard Frederic Sachs | Carter (D) | 1979 |
| Dean Whipple | Reagan (R) | 1987 |
| Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. | Bush (R) | 1991 |
| Ortrie D. Smith | Clinton (D) | 1995 |
| Gary A. Fenner | Clinton (D) | 1996 |
| Nanette Kay Laughrey | Clinton (D) | 1996 |
| Rodney W. Sippel | Clinton (D) | 1997 |
| David Gregory Kays | Bush (R) | 2008 |
| Mary Elizabeth Phillips | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Brian Curtis Wimes | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Stephen Rogers Bough | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| M. Douglas Harpool | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Roseann Ambrosia Ketchmark | Obama (D) | 2015 |
| Joshua Michael Divine | Trump (R) | 2025 |
| Megan Blair Benton | Trump (R) | 2026 |
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 1857.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.