Matthew P. Hamner named to Southern District

Gov. Mike Parson on March 15 named Judge Matthew P. Hamner as the newest member of the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District.

Hamner, currently the presiding judge of the 26th Circuit, succeeds Judge Ginger Gooch following her appointment last year to the Missouri Supreme Court. He is one of six former trial judges on the seven-member Southern District.

The Appellate Judicial Commission nominated Hamner in February, along with fellow Judge Joseph L. Hensley and private practitioner Bryan E. Nickell. They were among seven people who interviewed for the position.

Gooch’s appointment to the Southern District in late 2022 gave the Southern District a female majority for the first time in its history. Hamner’s appointment leaves the court with four men and three women. However, no women applied for the vacancy.

Hamner earned his law degree in 2001 from the University of Missouri and was in private practice until he was elected as an associate circuit judge in Camden County in 2014. Gov. Eric Greitens elevated him to the circuit bench in 2017.

Hamner’s circuit is one of a handful in Missouri that are split between two appellate districts. Appeals from Camden County, where Hamner resides, and Laclede County are heard in the Southern District. Cases in Miller, Moniteau and Morgan counties, however, go to the Western District.

Also on March 15, Parson announced one circuit appointment under the Nonpartisan Court Plan and three others to fill vacancies in elected circuits.

Philip M. Fuhrman was named as an associate circuit judge for Greene County. He succeeds Judge Nathan R. Taylor, who briefly held the position before he was elevated to the circuit bench.

Fuhrman, an assistant prosecuting attorney in Greene County, earned his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Also nominated for the position were Amanda Rose Callaway and Amy S. Westermann.

Alyssa M. Mayer was appointed as an associate circuit judge for Cass County. She is an assistant prosecuting attorney and earned her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She fills the vacancy left by the death in January of Judge Jeffrey L. Cox.

Judge Robert “Zac” Horack was elevated to the circuit bench of the 33rd Judicial Circuit, which comprises Scott and Mississippi counties in southeastern Missouri. Horack, who succeeds retired Judge David Dolan, has served as an associate circuit judge for Scott County since his election in 2018. He earned his law degree from Saint Louis University.

Melissa L. Stewart was appointed as an associate circuit judge for Howell County. Stewart, a solo practitioner, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Donna K. Anthony. She earned her law degree from the University of Tulsa.