Today, Governor Parson appointed Judge Thomas N. Chapman to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District. Judge Chapman will succeed Judge James E. Welsh, who retired in March.
“I am proud to name Judge Tom Chapman as a member of the Western District Court of Appeals in Missouri. Judge Chapman is a distinguished jurist whose rural perspective, I believe, will add additional balance to the court. I have high confidence that he will continue to be a fair arbiter of the law, faithfully interpret the law as written, and reasonably consider decisions made at the trial level in his own evaluation,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Additionally, I greatly appreciate the work of the appellate judicial commission in submitting such a strong panel of qualified candidates, which made choosing especially difficult.”
A native of Chillicothe, Missouri, Judge Chapman earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College. There, he majored in political science and graduated as Valedictorian of the Class of 1988. Judge Chapman graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in May 1991. During law school, he was a member of Phi Delta Phi and was an editorial board member of The Journal of Law & Politics.
After graduating from law school, Judge Chapman practiced law in Chillicothe for 19 years before becoming a circuit judge for the 43rd Judicial Circuit, Division 1, in 2011. He was elected as the presiding judge for the 43rd Judicial Circuit in 2012.
Judge Chapman is a member of the Missouri Circuit Judge Association, the Livingston County Bar Association, and the Missouri Bar. He also serves as a member of the Chillicothe Area Arts Council Board, the Chillicothe Rotary Club, and the Chillicothe Elks Lodge 656, among many others.
