This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 18, 2011 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon today announced that he has appointed former state Rep. Robert M. Clayton III, of Hannibal, to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.
According to Nixon's office, "Clayton will fill a vacancy on the appellate court created by the resignation of the Honorable Nannette Baker, who stepped down to become a federal magistrate."
Clayton is a 1994 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law; soon afterward he won election to the Missouri state House, where he served from 1995 through 2002.
Clayton lost a special election bid to the state Senate in January 2001; his loss put the Republican Party in control of that chamber for the first time in decades. The GOP has retained that power ever since.
Clayton, meanwhile, was named in 2003 by then-Gov. Bob Holden to the Missouri Public Service Commission, which oversees public utilities. Clayton has been on the panel ever since, serving as chairman from 2009 to this year.
"Robert Clayton's many years of experience as a public servant and in practicing law will serve him and the people of Missouri well on the appellate bench," Nixon said in a statement.
Nixon chose Clayton from among three nominees assembled by the Appellate Judicial Commission for the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, under the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan.
