United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

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United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
(W.D. Mo.)
WDMo.png
Location Kansas City
More locations
Appeals to Eighth Circuit
EstablishedMarch 3, 1857
Judges7
Chief Judge Beth Phillips
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price (interim)
U.S. Marshal Scott Seeling (acting)
www.mow.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (in case citations, W.D. Mo.) is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri. The Court is based in the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in Kansas City.

Contents

As of February 13,2025 the Acting United States attorney is Jeffrey P. Ray. [1]

History

Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse.jpeg
Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse

Missouri was admitted as a state on August 10, 1821, and the United States Congress established the United States District Court for the District of Missouri on March 16, 1822. [2] [3] [4] The District was assigned to the Eighth Circuit on March 3, 1837. [2] [5] Congress subdivided it into Eastern and Western Districts on March 3, 1857. [2] [6] and has since made only small adjustments to the boundaries of that subdivision. The division was prompted by a substantial increase in the number of admiralty cases arising from traffic on the Mississippi River, which had followed an act of Congress passed in 1845 and upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1851, extending federal admiralty jurisdiction to inland waterways. [7] These disputes involved "contracts of affreightment, collisions, mariners' wages, and other causes of admiralty jurisdiction", and litigants of matters arising in St. Louis found it inconvenient to travel to Jefferson City for their cases to be tried. [7]

When the District of Missouri was subdivided, Robert William Wells was the sole judge serving the District of Missouri. Wells was then reassigned to serve only the Western District. [8]

Jurisdiction

The district is divided into five divisions: Western (Kansas City), Central (Jefferson City), Southern (Springfield), Southwestern (Joplin), and St. Joseph (St. Joseph). There are divisional clerk's Offices in Jefferson City and Springfield in addition to the primary office in Kansas City. New cases and pleadings in the District Court may be filed in the clerk's offices in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield; Bankruptcy Court filings, however, only are accepted in the Kansas City clerk's office. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit across Missouri in St. Louis has jurisdiction over decisions appealed from the Western District of Missouri (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The five court divisions each cover the following counties:

The Western Division covers Bates, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Ray, St. Clair, and Saline counties.

The Central Division covers Benton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Cooper, Hickory, Howard, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, and Pettis counties.

The Southern Division covers Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Howell, Laclede, Oregon, Ozark, Polk, Pulaski, Taney, Texas, Webster, and Wright counties.

The St. Joseph Division covers Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Platte, Putnam, Sullivan, and Worth counties.

The Southwestern Division covers Barry, Barton, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Stone, and Vernon counties.

Current judges

As of July 24,2025:

#TitleJudgeDuty stationBornTerm of serviceAppointed by
Active Chief Senior
35Chief Judge Beth Phillips Kansas City 19692012–present2019–present— Obama
34District Judge David Gregory Kays Kansas City 19622008–present2014–2019— G.W. Bush
36District Judge Brian C. Wimes [Note 1] Kansas City 19662012–present—— Obama
37District Judge M. Douglas Harpool Springfield 19562014–present—— Obama
38District Judge Stephen R. Bough Kansas City 19702014–present—— Obama
39District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark Kansas City 19632015–present—— Obama
40District Judge Josh Divine [Note 1] None [Note 2] 19902025–present—— Trump
21Senior Judge Howard F. Sachs Kansas City 19251979–19921990–19921992–present Carter
27Senior Judge Dean Whipple inactive19381987–20072000–20072007–present Reagan
28Senior Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. Kansas City 19481991–20142007–20142014–present G.H.W. Bush
29Senior Judge Ortrie D. Smith inactive19461995–2011—2011–present Clinton
30Senior Judge Gary A. Fenner Kansas City 19471996–2015—2015–present Clinton
31Senior Judge Nanette Kay Laughrey [Note 1] inactive19461996–2011—2011–present Clinton
32Senior Judge Rodney W. Sippel [Note 1] None [Note 3] 19561997–2023—2023–present Clinton
  1. 1 2 3 4 Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  2. ↑ Judge Divine maintains chambers only in the Eastern District.
  3. ↑ Judge Sippel maintains chambers only in the Eastern District.

Former judges

#JudgeStateBorn–diedActive service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed byReason for
termination
1 Robert William Wells MO 1795–18641857–1864 [Note 1] —— Jackson/Operation of law death
2 Arnold Krekel MO 1815–18881865–1888—— Lincoln retirement
3 John Finis Philips MO 1834–19191888–1910—— Cleveland retirement
4 Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh MO 1862–19441910–1925—— Taft elevation to 8th Cir.
5 Albert L. Reeves MO 1873–19711923–19541948–19541954–1971 Harding death
6 Merrill E. Otis MO 1884–19441925–1944 [Note 2] —— Coolidge death
7 John Caskie Collet MO 1898–19551937–1947 [Note 3] —— F. Roosevelt elevation to 8th Cir.
8 Richard M. Duncan MO 1889–19741943–1965 [Note 3] 1954–19591965–1974 F. Roosevelt death
9 Albert Alphonso Ridge MO 1898–19671945–19611959–1961— F. Roosevelt elevation to 8th Cir.
13 Roy Winfield Harper MO 1905–19941947 [Note 4] [Note 3]
1947–1948 [Note 5] [Note 3]
1948–1971 [Note 6] [Note 3] 		—1971–1994 Truman
Truman
Truman 		death
11 Charles Evans Whittaker MO 1901–19731954–1956—— Eisenhower elevation to 8th Cir.
12 Randle Jasper Smith MO 1908–19621956–19621961–1962— Eisenhower death
13 Floyd Robert Gibson MO 1910–20011961–19651962–1965— Kennedy elevation to 8th Cir.
14 William Henry Becker MO 1909–19921961–19771965–19771977–1992 Kennedy death
15 John Watkins Oliver MO 1914–19901962–19801977–19801980–1990 Kennedy death
16 William Robert Collinson MO 1912–19951965–1980 [Note 3] —1980–1995 L. Johnson death
17 Elmo Bolton Hunter MO 1915–20031965–198019801980–2003 L. Johnson death
18 Harris Kenneth Wangelin MO 1913–19871970–1983 [Note 3] —1983–1987 Nixon death
19 Russell Gentry Clark MO 1925–20031977–19911980–19851991–2000 Carter retirement
20 Scott Olin Wright MO 1923–20161979–19911985–19901991–2016 Carter death
22 Joseph Edward Stevens Jr. MO 1928–19981981–1995 [Note 3] 1992–19951995–1998 Reagan death
23 D. Brook Bartlett MO 1937–20001981–20001995–2000— Reagan death
24 John R. Gibson MO 1925–20141981–1982—— Reagan elevation to 8th Cir.
25 Ross Thompson Roberts MO 1938–19871982–1987—— Reagan death
26 Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr. MO 1927–present1983–1996 [Note 3] —1996–2008 Reagan retirement
33 Richard Everett Dorr MO 1943–20132002–2013—— G.W. Bush death
  1. ↑ Reassigned from the District of Missouri
  2. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1925, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 14, 1925, and received commission the same day
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  4. ↑ Recess appointment; not confirmed by the Senate
  5. ↑ Received a second recess appointment and was again rejected by the Senate
  6. ↑ Received a third recess appointment; formally nominated on January 13, 1949, confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1949, and received commission on February 2, 1949

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

United States Attorneys

List of U.S. Attorneys since 1857 [9] [10] [11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Meet the U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. February 13, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. District Courts of Missouri, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center .
  3. ↑ 3 Stat. 653.
  4. ↑ Dickens, Asbury (1852). Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America. Boston: Little, Brown and company. p. 393.
  5. ↑ 5 Stat. 176.
  6. ↑ 11 Stat. 197.
  7. 1 2 Broadhead, James O. (March 5, 1887). "Address of Col. J. O. Broadhead". In Bar Association of St. Louis (ed.). Proceedings of the Saint Louis bar on the retirement of Hon. Samuel Treat. St. Louis: Nixon-Jones printing co. pp. 10–17.
  8. ↑ "Robert William Wells". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges . Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Western District of Missouri | Gallery of Past U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of MO". January 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Bicn Celebration" (PDF). www.justice.gov. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Missouri".
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