Gov. Mike Parson is reviewing three nominees submitted by the Appellate Judicial Commission to fill a vacancy in the Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals.
“The three nominees include two trial judges from two different circuits and a gentleman who is a long-time employee of the Attorney General's office and is now serving as a deputy attorney general in the criminal division,” said Beth Riggert, communications counsel with the Supreme Court of Missouri.
The vacancy was created by Judge Thomas Newton who retired in July after more than 21 years as a member of the judiciary. Newton served as the chief judge of the court of appeals for two years and has worked with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program as well as the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime.
The nominees to replace him are Shaun J. Mackelprang, Jalilah Otto, and Janet L. Sutton.
“The nonpartisan court plan is designed to make the individuals, their qualifications, their public service, community service, and activities paramount,” Riggert told the St. Louis Record. “I have no reason to believe that that's not what the commissions are focused on in trying to pick three highly qualified individuals, any one of whom any governor would be happy to appoint.”
The Appellate Judicial Commission hosted five hours of public interviews, three hours of deliberations, and nine rounds of balloting before settling on Mackelprang, Otto, and Sutton, according to a press release.
“The individuals who serve on the Appellate Judicial Commission all work incredibly hard, they take their job very seriously and they put in a lot of hours to serve the people of Missouri through these positions,” Riggert added. “They ask really good questions.”
Out of 14 applicants, five were women, three identified themselves as minority candidates, nine reside outside of the Kansas City metropolitan area, 11 work in the public sector, one works in the private sector and two work in both, according to a press release. Of those in the private sector, one works in a solo practice. Of those in the public sector, seven are trial court judges. The applicants’ mean age is 45.7 years.
Mackelprang, born in 1971, is deputy attorney general in the criminal division of the attorney general’s office in Jefferson City and resides in Holts Summit. He earned his bachelor of arts in English in 1994 from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and his law degree in 1997 from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Otto, born in 1977, is a circuit judge and the family court division administrative judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit and resides in Kansas City. She earned her bachelor of arts in communication and political science in 1999 from Tulane University in New Orleans and her law degree in 2002 from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.
Sutton, born in 1965, is a circuit judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit in Clay County and resides in Liberty. She earned her bachelor of arts in communication studies in 1987 and her law degree in 1990 both from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.