United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

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.

United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
(W.D. Mo.)
Location	Kansas City More locations Jefferson City Springfield St. Joseph Joplin
Appeals to	Eighth Circuit
Established	March 3, 1857
Judges	7
Chief Judge	Beth Phillips
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Jeffrey P. Ray (acting)
U.S. Marshal	(acting)
www.mow.uscourts.gov

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

History

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. The District was assigned to the Eighth Circuit on March 3, 1837. Congress subdivided it into Eastern and Western Districts on March 3, 1857. 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. 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.

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.

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 January 28, 2023^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
35	Chief Judge	Beth Phillips	Kansas City	1969	2012–present	2019–present	—	Obama
34	District Judge	David Gregory Kays	Kansas City	1962	2008–present	2014–2019	—	G.W. Bush
36	District Judge	Brian C. Wimes	Kansas City	1966	2012–present	—	—	Obama
37	District Judge	M. Douglas Harpool	Springfield	1956	2014–present	—	—	Obama
38	District Judge	Stephen R. Bough	Kansas City	1970	2014–present	—	—	Obama
39	District Judge	Roseann A. Ketchmark	Kansas City	1963	2015–present	—	—	Obama
40	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Senior Judge	Howard F. Sachs	Kansas City	1925	1979–1992	1990–1992	1992–present	Carter
27	Senior Judge	Dean Whipple	inactive	1938	1987–2007	2000–2007	2007–present	Reagan
28	Senior Judge	Fernando J. Gaitan Jr.	Kansas City	1948	1991–2014	2007–2014	2014–present	G.H.W. Bush
29	Senior Judge	Ortrie D. Smith	inactive	1946	1995–2011	—	2011–present	Clinton
30	Senior Judge	Gary A. Fenner	Kansas City	1947	1996–2015	—	2015–present	Clinton
31	Senior Judge	Nanette Kay Laughrey	inactive	1946	1996–2011	—	2011–present	Clinton
32	Senior Judge	Rodney W. Sippel	None	1956	1997–2023	—	2023–present	Clinton

1. Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
2. Judge Sippel maintains chambers only in the Eastern District.

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Prior judge's duty station	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
3	None	Rodney W. Sippel	Senior status	January 28, 2023	–	–

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Robert William Wells	MO	1795–1864	1857–1864	—	—	Jackson/Operation of law	death
2	Arnold Krekel	MO	1815–1888	1865–1888	—	—	Lincoln	retirement
3	John Finis Philips	MO	1834–1919	1888–1910	—	—	Cleveland	retirement
4	Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh	MO	1862–1944	1910–1925	—	—	Taft	elevation to 8th Cir.
5	Albert L. Reeves	MO	1873–1971	1923–1954	1948–1954	1954–1971	Harding	death
6	Merrill E. Otis	MO	1884–1944	1925–1944	—	—	Coolidge	death
7	John Caskie Collet	MO	1898–1955	1937–1947	—	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 8th Cir.
8	Richard M. Duncan	MO	1889–1974	1943–1965	1954–1959	1965–1974	F. Roosevelt	death
9	Albert Alphonso Ridge	MO	1898–1967	1945–1961	1959–1961	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 8th Cir.
13	Roy Winfield Harper	MO	1905–1994	1947 1947–1948 1948–1971	—	1971–1994	Truman Truman Truman	death
11	Charles Evans Whittaker	MO	1901–1973	1954–1956	—	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 8th Cir.
12	Randle Jasper Smith	MO	1908–1962	1956–1962	1961–1962	—	Eisenhower	death
13	Floyd Robert Gibson	MO	1910–2001	1961–1965	1962–1965	—	Kennedy	elevation to 8th Cir.
14	William Henry Becker	MO	1909–1992	1961–1977	1965–1977	1977–1992	Kennedy	death
15	John Watkins Oliver	MO	1914–1990	1962–1980	1977–1980	1980–1990	Kennedy	death
16	William Robert Collinson	MO	1912–1995	1965–1980	—	1980–1995	L. Johnson	death
17	Elmo Bolton Hunter	MO	1915–2003	1965–1980	1980	1980–2003	L. Johnson	death
18	Harris Kenneth Wangelin	MO	1913–1987	1970–1983	—	1983–1987	Nixon	death
19	Russell Gentry Clark	MO	1925–2003	1977–1991	1980–1985	1991–2000	Carter	retirement
20	Scott Olin Wright	MO	1923–2016	1979–1991	1985–1990	1991–2016	Carter	death
22	Joseph Edward Stevens Jr.	MO	1928–1998	1981–1995	1992–1995	1995–1998	Reagan	death
23	D. Brook Bartlett	MO	1937–2000	1981–2000	1995–2000	—	Reagan	death
24	John R. Gibson	MO	1925–2014	1981–1982	—	—	Reagan	elevation to 8th Cir.
25	Ross Thompson Roberts	MO	1938–1987	1982–1987	—	—	Reagan	death
26	Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr.	MO	1927–present	1983–1996	—	1996–2008	Reagan	retirement
33	Richard Everett Dorr	MO	1943–2013	2002–2013	—	—	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. 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

Seat 1 Seat reassigned from the District of Missouri on March 3, 1857 by 11 Stat. 197 Wells 1857–1864 Krekel 1865–1888 Philips 1888–1910 Van Valkenburgh 1910–1925 Otis 1925–1944 Ridge 1945–1961 Becker 1961–1977 Clark 1977–1991 Gaitan, Jr. 1991–2014 Bough 2014–present

Seat 2 Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 838 (temporary) Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659 Reeves 1923–1954 Whittaker 1954–1956 R. Smith 1956–1962 Oliver 1962–1980 Bartlett 1981–2000 Dorr 2002–2013 Harpool 2014–present

Seat 3 Seat established on June 22, 1936 by 49 Stat. 1804 (concurrent with Eastern District) Collet 1937–1947 Harper 1947–1971 Wangelin 1970–1983 Limbaugh Sr. 1983–1996 Sippel 1997–2023 vacant 2023–present

Seat 4 Seat established on December 24, 1942 by 56 Stat. 1083 (temporary, concurrent with Eastern District) Seat made permanent on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 Duncan 1943–1965 Collinson 1965–1980 Stevens Jr. 1981–1995 Laughrey 1996–2011 Wimes 2012–present

Seat 5 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 F. Gibson 1961–1965 Hunter 1965–1980 J. Gibson 1981–1982 Roberts 1982–1987 Whipple 1987–2007 Kays 2008–present

Seat 6 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Sachs 1979–1992 O. Smith 1995–2011 Phillips 2012–present

Seat 7 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Wright 1979–1991 Fenner 1996–2015 Ketchmark 2015–present

United States Attorneys

List of U.S. Attorneys since 1857

• Mosby Monroe Parsons (1857–1858)
• Alfred Morrison Lay (1858–1861)
• James J. Clark (1861)
• James O. Broadhead (1861)
• Robert J. Lackey (1861–1864)
• Bennett Pike (1864)
• James S. Botsford (1871–1878)
• L. H. Waters (1878–1882)
• William Warner (1882–1885)
• Ross Guffin (1885)
• Maecenas Eason Benton (1885–1889)
• Elbert E. Kimball (1889)
• George A. Neal (1889–1894)
• John R. Walker (1894–1898)
• William Warner (1898–1905)
• Arba S. Van Valkenburgh (1905–1910)
• Leslie J. Lyons (1910–1913)
• Francis M. Wilson (1913–1920)
• Sam O. Hargus (1920)
• James W. Sullinger (1920–1921)
• Charles C. Madison (1921–1925)
• Roscoe C. Patterson (1925–1929)
• William L. Vandeventer (1929–1934)
• Maurice M. Milligan (1934–1940)
• Richard K. Phelps (1940)
• Maurice M. Milligan (1940–1945)
• Sam M. Wear (1945–1953)
• Edward L. Scheufler (1953–1961)
• F. Russell Millin (1961–1967)
• Calvin K. Hamilton (1967–1969)
• Bert C. Hurn (1969–1977)
• Ronald S. Reed, Jr. (1977–1981)
• J. Whitfield Moody (1981)
• Robert G. Ulrich (1981–1989)
• Thomas M. Larson (1989)
• Jean Paul Bradshaw II (1989–1993)
• Michael A. Jones (1993)
• Marietta Parker (1993)
• Stephen L. Hill, Jr. (1993–2001)
• Todd Graves (2001–2006)
• Bradley Schlozman (2006–2007)
• John F. Wood (2007–2009)
• Beth Phillips (2009–2012)
• David Ketchmark (2012–2013)
• Tammy Dickinson (2013–2017)
• Thomas Larson (2017–2018)
• Timothy A. Garrison (2018–2021)
• Teresa A. Moore (2021–2025)
• Jeffrey P. Ray (2025-present)

See also

• Courts of Missouri
• List of current United States district judges
• List of United States federal courthouses in Missouri

References

1. "Meet the U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. February 13, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
2. 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. 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".

External links

• Official website