Matt Allen, St. Louis Business Journal
- For the first time in history, the Missouri Court of Appeals will have black chief judges in two of its districts, with Judge Nannette Baker and Judge Thomas Newton assuming the posts Tuesday of chief judge in the Eastern District and the Western District, respectively.
Baker was elected by her 13 peers on the Eastern District to serve a one-year term as chief judge. Newton was elected by 10 of his peers to serve a two-year term as chief judge of the Western District.
Baker is the first black woman in Missouri to preside over a state court, and the third black judge to serve as chief judge of the Eastern District. She succeeds Judge Patricia Cohen, who served as chief judge from July 1, 2007, through June 30 this year.
