Missouri
Missouri’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Missouri. The court has six judges and one chief justice, who is selected for a two-year term by the other members of the court. (Source: Missouri Supreme Court Judges)
Judicial Selection
The governor appoints judges to the Supreme Court of Missouri from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. After at least one year on the court, the judge may stand for a 12-year term in an unopposed yes/no retention vote at the time of Missouri’s next general election. Judges may stand for additional terms in the same retention process. To fill an interim vacancy, the governor appoints a judge from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. There are no term limits. The mandatory retirement age is 70.
State Constitution
Missouri has had four state constitutions adopted between 1820 and 1945. As of January 1, 2026, it had 135 amendments. (Data on file with John Dinan, Wake Forest University.)
Filters
The Quiet Campaign Against Direct Democracy
As citizens have increasingly employed their powers to make or change law, state officials have used a variety of tactics to make doing so more difficult.
Hemani Is Not the End of Drug-and-Gun Litigation
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that it was unconstitutional to disarm a person based on regular marijuana use contains lessons for state judges, policymakers, and litigants.
Are State Courts More Protective of Transgender People than Federal Courts?
As the U.S. Supreme Court deals another blow to trans rights, a new survey finds that almost 55 percent of related state cases from 2022 to 2024 had a positive impact on trans lives.
A Territorial Death Penalty Case Carries a Warning for the States
A federal court of appeals case from the U.S. Virgin Islands shows how Congress could take charging decisions away from state prosecutors and impose capital punishment for state crimes.
Missouri Appeals Court Upholds Order Blocking Abortion Restrictions
The ruling is the latest in a long-running saga over abortion access following voters’ 2024 approval of a state constitutional reproductive-rights amendment.
When Are Retroactive Laws Constitutional?
The South Carolina Supreme Court’s latest word on retroactive legislation is in keeping with a messy tradition.
A New Way Some State Courts Limit Abortion Rights
Hostile courts are increasingly using procedural hurdles to limit access to abortion, allowing them to avoid explicitly grappling with questions over reproductive rights.
250 Years of State Constitutions
Early state charters are essential to understanding the American founding.