Kayla Jackson-Williams primed to become Boone County family court judge

Democrat Kayla Jackson-Williams is primed to become the first Black judge in Boone County history on Jan. 1 as associate circuit Division 10 judge.

Jackson-Williams will run unopposed in November after Democratic voters selected her over Angela Peterson in Tuesday's primary by a close unofficial margin of 7,367 to 7,174. No Republicans filed for the position.

"I am at a loss for words. I am excited. I am truly thankful for everyone who supported me," Jackson-Williams told the Tribune on Tuesday night.

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She joins the historic ranks of African American judges such as Judge Robin Ransom, who was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court by Gov. Mike Parson, and Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jackson-Williams has a different perspective on her new role and its historic implications compared to when she announced her candidacy last year.

"Being a part of history is an unreal feeling," she said, adding some slight shock that barriers are still needing to be broken in 2022.

As the presumed winner of the Nov. 8 general election, Jackson-Williams plans to shadow judges over the next several months, going through the same steps of other judges in the Boone County Circuit Court following their elections.

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She also will continue to work at Rogers-Ehrhardt Attorneys at Law as a civil litigation attorney through Jan. 1, when she will take the bench.

This judgeship oversees the family and juvenile court docket. The role opened up with the planned retirement of current Judge Leslie Schneider.

Jackson-Williams seeks to be the bridge between generations of older and younger court personnel and those coming before the bench, she said in the lead-up to Tuesday.

"With a background in family, criminal and civil litigation, I have developed relationships with individuals in our community who are from all walks of life," she wrote in response to campaign questions from the Tribune. " ... We are bridge-builders that our community needs. This also enables me to easily relate to others, which in turn, allows them to be their authentic selves and share things they may not otherwise share.

"This is important in intimate settings such as the courtroom."

Peterson in her campaign touted her 22 years of experience as a litigator, focusing in family law at both Mid-Missouri Legal Services and Columbia Family Law Group.

An attempt to reach Peterson on Tuesday night was not successful.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Jackson-Williams primed to become Boone County family court judge