Hannibal’s Robert Clayton III New Chief Appellate Judge [Audio]

(St. Louis, Mo)—A Hannibal man is elected new chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.

Judge Robert M. Clayton III will lead the court after a unanimous vote of its judges.

Clayton’s one-year term began July 1.  He joins another Hannibalian—Judge Mary Rhodes Russell, who is also leading a higher court in Missouri. Russell is the new chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.

Before his appointment to the Eastern District Appeals Court in 2011, Clayton represented northeast Missouri in the House of Representatives and served on the Public Service Commission.  He says those experiences-- in addition to practicing law-- taught him valuable lessons about the process and creation of laws and helped prepare him for service on the bench.

Clayton explains the importance of the appellate court

Clayton talks about the unique situation in having two Hannibalians serving as chief judge in the Missouri Supreme Court and the Appeals Court