United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
41 judges profiled from their own signed orders: how each rules on motions, with the orders quoted. Court-wide standing orders ↓
Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Phillips
District judge, appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)
Mark Douglas HarpoolSenior status
District judge, appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)
Fernando Joe Gaitan Jr.Senior status
District judge, appointed by George H. W. Bush (Republican)
Willie J. Epps, Jr.
Magistrate judge
David Gregory Kays
District judge, appointed by George W. Bush (Republican)
Stephen R. Bough
District judge, appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)
Ortrie Dale SmithNo longer serving
District judge, appointed by Bill Clinton (Democratic)
Roseann A. Ketchmark
District judge, appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)
Howard Frederic SachsNo longer serving
District judge, appointed by Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
Gary August FennerNo longer serving
District judge, appointed by Bill Clinton (Democratic)
Brian C. Wimes
District judge, appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)
Lajuana M. Counts
Magistrate judge
James C. England
Magistrate judge
Jill A. Morris
Magistrate judge
Sarah W. Hays
Magistrate judge
William Brian Gaddy
Magistrate judge
Nanette Kay LaughreyNo longer serving
District judge, appointed by Bill Clinton (Democratic)
John Finis PhilipsDeceased
District judge, appointed by Grover Cleveland (Democratic)
William Robert CollinsonDeceased
District judge, appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic)
Dean WhippleSenior status
District judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)
Albert L. ReevesDeceased
District judge, appointed by Warren G. Harding (Republican)
Elmo Bolton HunterDeceased
District judge, appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic)
Floyd Robert GibsonDeceased
District judge, appointed by John F. Kennedy (Democratic)
John Watkins OliverDeceased
District judge, appointed by John F. Kennedy (Democratic)
Merrill E. OtisDeceased
District judge, appointed by Calvin Coolidge (Republican)
Richard M. DuncanDeceased
District judge, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic)
Russell Gentry ClarkDeceased
District judge, appointed by Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
William H. BeckerDeceased
District judge, appointed by John F. Kennedy (Democratic)
D. Brook BartlettDeceased
District judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)
John Caskie ColletDeceased
District judge, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic)
Albert Alphonso RidgeDeceased
District judge, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic)
Arba Seymour Van ValkenburghDeceased
District judge, appointed by William Howard Taft (Republican)
Joseph Edward Stevens Jr.Deceased
District judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)
Randle Jasper SmithDeceased
District judge, appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
Scott Olin WrightDeceased
District judge, appointed by Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
Ross Thompson RobertsDeceased
District judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)
Arnold KrekelDeceased
District judge, appointed by Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
David P. Rush
Magistrate judge
Megan Blair Benton
District judge, appointed by Donald Trump (Republican)
Richard Everett DorrDeceased
District judge, appointed by George W. Bush (Republican)
Harris Kenneth WangelinDeceased
District judge, appointed by Richard Nixon (Republican)
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026). Courts revise these, so confirm the current version before you file. The court's local rules ↗
- Prisoner Electronic Filing Program ↗
- Transcript Policy ↗
- Civil ESI Principles ↗
- Criminal ESI Principles and Checklist ↗
Filing
At participating Missouri corrections facilities, staff scan and electronically send prisoner filings to the court.
“MDOC staff at the Correctional Centers will scan ALL prisoner filings into a preprogrammed digital sender which converts the filing to .pdf format and emails the document directly to the Court”
Filing
A party seeking transcript redaction must file notice within seven calendar days after the transcript is filed.
“If redaction is determined to be necessary, a party must file a Notice of Intent to Redact within 7 calendar days after the filing of the original transcript”
Discovery
When a technical electronic discovery dispute arises in a civil case, each party must designate a liaison to help resolve it.
“If a dispute arises involving the technical aspects of e-discovery, each party shall designate an e-discovery liaison”
Discovery
In a criminal case with electronically stored discovery, the parties must meet and confer as soon as possible after arraignment.
“As soon as possible after arraignment, the parties must meet and confer to determine whether there are issues in the case associated with the production of ESI”