Commission Names Three Nominees for Missouri Appeals Court
The Appellate Judicial Commission has submitted three candidates to Governor Mike Kehoe to fill a Western District vacancy.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
The Appellate Judicial Commission announced on November 4, 2026, that it has submitted the names of Adam L. Caine, Sarah A. Castle, and J. Benton Hurst for consideration to fill a vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District. Each nominee received unanimous commission support.
Why it matters
The vacancy was created when Judge Anthony Rex Gabbert retired earlier in 2026, leaving a seat on the Western District court that the governor must now fill from the commission's slate. The nomination process determines who will serve on one of Missouri's appellate courts.
The commission conducted nearly 6.5 hours of public interviews and about 2.5 hours of deliberations over 10 rounds of balloting before naming its slate. The source does not say when Governor Mike Kehoe will make his appointment.
The players
Appellate Judicial Commission
The Missouri commission responsible for screening and nominating candidates for the state's appellate courts.
Mike Kehoe
The Governor of Missouri, who will select one of the three nominees to fill the Western District seat.
Anthony Rex Gabbert
The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District judge whose retirement created the vacancy.
The details
The Appellate Judicial Commission named Adam L. Caine, Sarah A. Castle, and J. Benton Hurst as its nominees after public interviews, deliberations, and multiple rounds of balloting. Caine is a judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit and received his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Timeline
Earlier in 2026: Judge Anthony Rex Gabbert retired from the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, creating the vacancy.
November 4, 2026: The Appellate Judicial Commission announced its three nominees.
Roadmap
Missouri fills appellate vacancies by having the Appellate Judicial Commission nominate candidates and the governor choose from that list, as this slate for the Western District now follows. The commission's three-name submission shows how the state's merit-selection system narrows a field through interviews and balloting before the governor acts.
Missouri residents involved in cases before the Western District will eventually have a new judge hearing appeals once the governor makes an appointment. The timing of that appointment is not yet known.
The takeaway
The nomination process for Missouri appellate courts combines public interviews with commission balloting, a structure that produced unanimous support for all three nominees in this case. Readers can track the governor's choice as the process moves forward.
Further reading
For more on who is moving into key public roles, see People coverage.
