Candidates named for Eastern District judgeship

The Appellate Judicial Commission has nominated Kathleen Hamilton, Virginia Lay and Michael Wright for a vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District.

The commission said the candidates to succeed retired Judge Sherri B. Sullivan were chosen unanimously after two hours of deliberations and eight rounds of balloting. The nominees were picked from among 22 applicants interviewed on Aug. 28 and 29.

Hamilton is a partner at HeplerBroom in St. Louis. Lay is a circuit judge in St. Louis County. Wright is an associate circuit judge in Warren County.

Gov. Mike Parson has 60 days to choose one of them to fill the vacancy. However, whomever is chosen could be just the first of several new members of the St. Louis-based appellate court this year.

The panel’s announcement comes just a week after the Appellate Judicial Commission picked three nominees for a vacancy on the Supreme Court — including two current members of the Eastern District, Judges Kelly Broniec and Michael Gardner. (The third is Judge Ginger Gooch of the Court of Appeals Southern District.)

A second Supreme Court vacancy is expected to open later this year, which could again feature Eastern District judges. Broniec and Gardner were among five judges from that court to apply for the current opening.

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