JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday appointed Missouri Eastern District Appeals Court Judge Robin Ransom to be the first Black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court.
Ransom will replace Judge Laura Denvir Stith, who was the second woman appointed to the high court. Stith retired in March.
Ransom marks a new first for the court as Missouri’s only Black female Supreme Court judge. She’s the third Black judge, and she’ll join Chief Justice George Draper as the second Black judge currently serving on the high court.
Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt first appointed Ransom to serve as a St. Louis County circuit judge in 2008. Parson appointed her in 2019 to serve as an appeals court judge, her most recent job.
Ransom was one of 25 applicants for the Supreme Court vacancy.
In Missouri, a panel of lawyers, citizens and the chief justice review Supreme Court applicants, then submit three finalists for the governor to choose from.
Unlike U.S. Supreme Court nominees, Ransom’s appointment does not need state Senate confirmation.
