Regardless of the eventual outcome, the fourth time has been the charm for Darrell Missey, the presiding judge of Jefferson County’s 23rd Circuit Court.
Three previous times, Missey has applied to fill a vacancy on Missouri’s Eastern District Court of Appeals, and three previous times, Missey didn’t make the list of three finalists for the job.
This fourth time, Missey has made it into the final round, and if selected, would replace Judge Robert G. Dowd Jr., who retired in December.
“I’ve got a 33 percent chance now,” said Missey, who presides over Division 2 of the Jefferson County Circuit Court. “I’ve advanced further than I ever have before, and this is a great honor. Even if I don’t get the appointment, I feel honored to have been considered.”
Vacancies on the state’s three districts of the appellate court system are filled by appointments by the governor.
The Appellate Judicial Commission, which is made up of the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, lawyers and others, interviews all applicants and makes recommendations to the governor, typically allowing him to choose from a field of three.
The announcement that the commission chose Missey and two others came on Jan. 15. Gov. Mike Parson has 60 days to appoint one of the finalists. If he doesn’t, under the state constitution, the commission will choose one of the three to succeed Dowd.
Missey, 53, of Fenton said he doesn’t know very much about his competition.
“I understand that Judge (Thomas C.) Clark (II) is a circuit judge in St. Louis, and he’s very respected,” said Missey. “I don’t know much about Eric Peterson.”
Peterson of Webster Groves is a senior hearing officer for the State Tax Commission. “For the commission to choose them (from a field of 17 applicants), they both appear to be qualified and good candidates,” Missey said.
All three finalists were chosen unanimously by the seven-member commission.
“I think they usually work toward a consensus,” Missey said. “But for a group of lawyers and laypeople and the chief justice to choose me, it’s a real honor. Just getting to this point makes me very happy.”
He said Parson will have a tough choice.
Missey said he was confident after his initial interviews that his fourth application might be more successful than the first three. “But you never know how these things will turn out,” he said. “I know I’ve made a lot of phone calls to associates who are familiar with the process.”
Missey said in the end, his judicial record will be the factor that Parson will weigh.
Missey also said that applying for one of the 14 seats on the Eastern District’s Court of Appeals is not a sign he’s not satisfied with being a circuit court judge.
“I’m not really looking for a different job,” he said. “I’m seeking a promotion. I’ve always looked at being a judge as serving the people of my community. If I were fortunate enough to get this promotion, I’ll still be serving the people of Jefferson County, as well as the other people in the Eastern District.”
Appellate court judges serve 12-year terms.
Missey served as associate Jefferson County Circuit judge from 2003-2013. He ran unopposed last year for his third six-year term as circuit judge. If he were appointed to the appellate court, he would join Lisa Page, a former judge in the 23rd Circuit who was appointed to her current position in December 2015.
Missey and his wife, Andrea, have three daughters.