Discover how Robin Ransom, the first African American woman judge in the Missouri Court of Appeals, is promoting diversity and equality in the justice system.
Show-Me State Justice: Meet Robin Ransom
Robin Ransom (formerly Robin Ransom Vannoy) was born July 21, 1967 and is an American lawyer who serves as a judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She was appointed to the court in 2021 by Governor Mike Parson, and is the first African-American woman to hold the position. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, Ransom served on the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District from 2019 to 2021, and served on the St. Louis Circuit Court from 2008 to 2019.
Robin Ransom was born on July 21, 1967, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father, who had careers as a firefighter and a social worker, instilled in her a diligent work ethic. She graduated from Rosati-Kain High School and Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s Douglass Residential College with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and sociology in 1988, and graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1991.
Ransom began her legal career as a public defender in St. Louis County in 1992. She became a prosecutor in St. Louis County in 1995, and in 2002 was appointed as a juvenile family court commissioner in St. Louis. Also in 2002, she was appointed as an associate justice by then Governor Bob Holden. She was later appointed to the St. Louis Circuit Court on September 11, 2008, by Governor Matt Blunt. Ransom’s peers on the court unanimously elected her to serve as presiding judge in 2018, succeeding Michael Mullen; she was the first African-American woman to hold this position.
In 2019, Missouri Governor Mike Parson appointed Ransom to serve on the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District. On May 24, 202, Parson appointed her to the Supreme Court of Missouri.
Ransom is the first African-American woman to serve on the Missouri high court’s bench. She was one of 25 applicants for the position, and was selected from a field of three candidates put forward by a nonpartisan commission, as per the judicial requirements of the Missouri Plan. After receiving the list of three candidates, Parson decided on Ransom within one day, though he had up to 60 days to finalize a decision. State Representative Ashley Bland Manlove, the chair of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, said the group was pleased by Ransom’s appointment but thought “the fact that it took two centuries to happen highlights the continued need to address inequities in all aspects of Missouri’s judicial system”. Former Missouri Chief Justice Michael A. Wolff praised Ransom’s selection.
Personal Life and Community Work
Judge Ransom bowls competitively, having participated in the sport since the age of 11; in March 2021, she bowled a perfect 300 game, a rare achievement even among professional bowlers. Ransom also tutors children for a local church’s literacy program. She is a member of the Juvenile Officer Performance Standards Work Group and the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board, as well as a mentor of the nonprofit The Literacy Project.
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