According to a news release from Missouri Governor Mike Parson's office, on Friday, Parson appointed Judge Michael E. Gardner to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.

He will succeed Judge Lawrence E. Mooney, who retired in September 2019.

A Cape Girardeau native, Gardner serves as Circuit Judge of the 32nd Judicial Circuit.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Judge Michael Gardner

Gardner is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Bar Foundation and the Cape West Rotary Club. Gardner and his family are active members of their church and attend numerous school activities.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.