Judge Robin Ransom made history Monday when she was appointed to serve on Missouri’s Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman to do so. According to The Hill, Gov. Mike Parson decided to have Ransom replace a previous judge who retired in March.
Ransom will also be the third Black judge to join the state’s highest court.
CNN reported she previously served on the Missouri Court of Appeals and also spent over 10 years working as a circuit judge in St. Louis.
According to her bio, Ransom was also a St. Louis Family Court Commissioner. The 53-year-old justice earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology.
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Referring to her experience in the state’s judicial system, Parson said in a press release, “Judge Ransom will add valuable experience, perspective, and balance to the court. I have high confidence that she will continue to be a fair enforcer of the law, faithfully interpret the law as written, and reasonably consider decisions made at the trial and appellate level in her own evaluation.”
“The Supreme Court of Missouri serves an essential role in maintaining our system of justice, upholding the law, and protecting both the Missouri and the United States Constitutions, and I greatly appreciate the work of the judicial commission in submitting such a strong panel of qualified candidates,” the governor continued.
Chief Justice George Draper, Missouri’s second appointed Black judge, will serve beside Ransom. The St. Louis native also worked with the Missouri Court of Appeals before joining the state’s supreme court in 2011.
Now the first and only Black female justice serving in Missouri Supreme Court, Ransom spoke in a news conference about what it means for her and her family.
“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,” she said, adding that she will continue to practice compassion and patience as a state supreme court justice.
