First Black Woman Judge Appointed To Missouri Supreme Court

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson appointed Judge Robin Ransom to serve on the state’s Supreme Court, where she’ll make history as the first Black woman in the position.

The Republican governor said he was “proud and honored” to announce this appointment on Monday. Ransom is filling a vacancy from another judge who retired earlier this year.

In a press conference, Ransom said she was “humbled” by the appointment and that it was “not lost on me the historic nature ... to be the first African American woman appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.”

“As the daughter of a fireman who worked and lived in a segregated engine house when he worked for the fire department, this is a very happy day for my mom, myself and my entire family,” Ransom added.

Missouri is 80% white and nearly 12% Black.

Ransom previously served on the state’s Court of Appeals, to which Parson appointed her in 2019. Before that, she was a circuit judge for the city of St. Louis, as well as a lawyer in the county prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices.