Finalists named for Southern District vacancy

The Appellate Judicial Commission has selected a southwestern Missouri litigator and two trial judges as finalists for an opening on the Court of Appeals Southern District.  

The commission on Oct. 2 unanimously nominated Ginger K. Gooch, Matthew P. Hamner and Joseph L. Hensley for the vacancy created by the recent retirement of Judge William W. Francis Jr. Gov. Mike Parson has 60 days to appoint one of the three to the bench. 

Gooch is a partner with Husch Blackwell in Springfield. She earned her law degree in 2000 from the University of Missouri. If chosen, she would be the third woman in a row named to the court and would leave the seven-member court with four female judges — a historic shift for a court that until 2001 had no women.  

Gooch also would be one of two judges on the Southern District to come straight from private practice. If Hamner or Hensley are chosen, six of the court’s seven members will be former trial judges.  

Hamner is the presiding judge of the 26th Judicial Circuit, which covers Camden, Laclede, Miller, Moniteau and Morgan counties. He earned his law degree in 2001 from the University of Missouri. 

Hensley is an associate circuit judge and the presiding juvenile judge in Jasper County. He earned his law degree in 1998 from the University of Missouri. 

The announcement of the nominations followed an unusual Sunday meeting of the commission at the Supreme Court building in Jefferson City, which the committee said was “due to scheduling issues, and in the interest of filling the vacancy as expeditiously as possible.” 

The commission considered a total of 17 applicants, five of whom were women. Thirteen were employed outside the Springfield metropolitan area. The pool included eight trial court judges. The remaining nine applicants worked in the private sector, including five in a solo or small-firm practice. Their mean age is 52. 

Only one applicant was interviewed on Oct. 2. The rest had previously applied for the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gary Lynch, which occurred shortly before Francis’ retirement. 

The appointment will mark Parson’s 14th pick for a Court of Appeals vacancy. He has named 100 judges since taking office.