← Federal courts · Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
A federal trial (district) court in the Eighth Circuit. 7 active judges and 8 on senior status (semi-retired, still hearing some cases), per the Federal Judicial Center.
No left–right score is calculated for lower-court judges. The appointing president is shown instead (a common, but rough, signal).
Decision data not available here. CourtListener, the main free source of court opinions, requires an account API key for automated access, so this site does not collect lower-court opinions. You can search CourtListener for this court's opinions yourself (external site).
Who appointed the current judges
Judges
| Judge | Status | Appointed by | Commissioned | Senate confirmation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Curtis Wimes Chief Judge | Active | D Barack Obama | Apr 30, 2012 | Apr 23, 2012 · roll call 92–1 |
| David Gregory Kays | Active | R George W. Bush | Jun 19, 2008 | Jun 10, 2008 · voice vote |
| Mary Elizabeth Phillips | Active | D Barack Obama | Mar 22, 2012 | Mar 6, 2012 · roll call 95–2 |
| Stephen Rogers Bough | Active | D Barack Obama | Dec 19, 2014 | Dec 16, 2014 · roll call 51–38 |
| Roseann Ambrosia Ketchmark | Active | D Barack Obama | Sep 14, 2015 | Sep 8, 2015 · roll call 96–0 |
| Joshua Michael Divine | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Jul 24, 2025 | Jul 22, 2025 · roll call 51–46 (Voteview) |
| Megan Blair Benton | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Feb 10, 2026 | Feb 4, 2026 · roll call 51–46 (Voteview) |
| Howard Frederic Sachs | Senior status since Oct 31, 1992 | D Jimmy Carter | Sep 26, 1979 | Sep 25, 1979 · voice vote |
| Dean Whipple | Senior status since Apr 30, 2007 | R Ronald Reagan | Dec 9, 1987 | Dec 8, 1987 · voice vote |
| Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr. | Senior status since Jan 3, 2014 | R George H.W. Bush | Aug 2, 1991 | Jul 18, 1991 · voice vote |
| Ortrie D. Smith | Senior status since Apr 30, 2011 | D William J. Clinton | Aug 14, 1995 | Aug 11, 1995 · voice vote |
| Gary A. Fenner | Senior status since Sep 8, 2015 | D William J. Clinton | Jul 25, 1996 | Jul 10, 1996 · voice vote |
| Nanette Kay Laughrey | Senior status since Aug 27, 2011 | D William J. Clinton | Aug 1, 1996 | Jul 24, 1996 · voice vote |
| Rodney W. Sippel | Senior status since Jan 28, 2023 | D William J. Clinton | Nov 12, 1997 | Nov 8, 1997 · voice vote |
| M. Douglas Harpool | Senior status since Feb 4, 2026 | D Barack Obama | Mar 28, 2014 | Mar 26, 2014 · roll call 93–5 |
Source: Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. “Commissioned” is the date the appointment took effect. Confirmation votes are as listed by the FJC (ayes–nays); recent roll calls link to Voteview where found.