Springfield judge appointed to fill Missouri Supreme Court vacancy
Springfield attorney and judge Ginger Gooch was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court, marking the first time that the state’s highest court has a female majority.
Gov. Parson held a press conference outside his office in the Missouri State Capitol building to announce the appointment.
“What we look for in a Supreme Court judge, and what Judge Gooch’s record shows is that she interprets the law as written, is a fair and common sense enforcer of the law and does not legislate from the bench,” Parson said. “She'll leave that to the General Assembly.”
Parson, who hails from Bolivar, went on to stress that, although there hasn’t been a judge from southwest Missouri appointed to the highest court in several decades, this was not the reason Gooch was chosen.
“I'll admit, being from southwest Missouri, I'm glad to see some representation from our part of the state on the bench,” Parson said. “But geography is not why Judge Gooch rose to the top. We chose her because she is the most qualified candidate. End of story.”
Gooch, 47, was appointed to serve on the Southern District Court of Appeals in 2022 by Parson. Although she said she is sad to leave this appointment so quickly, she looks forward to serving the entire state in this new role.
“I will honor my oath to uphold the laws and the Constitution, and I will follow the law as written,” Gooch said.
Although no official date has yet been set, Missouri law requires that Gooch be sworn into her new position within 30 days.
Gooch previously served as a partner with Husch Blackwell LLP in Springfield for nearly 15 years. She was the top of her class in law school, earning her juris doctor degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Law. Her bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy, law, and rhetoric is from Stephens College.
Following her graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ann Covington, the first female judge to serve on the Supreme Court of Missouri, from 2000-2001.
“She clerked for the first woman on the Missouri Supreme Court, and now with her appointment, we cement the first female majority on our state's highest court in state history,” Parson said. “We know Judge Gooch is the right woman for the job.”
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She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Breckenridge earlier this month. This is the second appointment Parson has made to the Missouri Supreme Court in the past two months, and the third appointment during his tenure as governor.
“It has been more than 30 years since a governor has gotten to appoint two Supreme Court judges within the same year and decades since a governor has appointed three during their tenure,” Parson said.
Gooch was among the nominees for the last vacancy to be filled in September. Parson chose Kelly Broniec to fill that vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George W. Draper III.
The Appellate Judicial Commission selected Gooch as one of three candidates, along with Michael E. Gardner and John P. Torbitzky, after almost three hours of public interviews, over two hours of deliberations, and 10 rounds of balloting. Each candidate received seven votes.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ginger Gooch appointed to Missouri Supreme Court
