Missouri appeals court judge leaving for private practice

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A state appeals court judge announced Thursday that he is leaving the bench in September to return to private practice.

Judge Phillip R. Garrison, 65, has served on the Missouri Court of Appeals' Southern District since being appointed in December 1992. He served as the court's chief judge in 1998 and 1999.

Garrison, a Springfield native, will retire Sept. 11. He is leaving the court to be a partner in the law firm of Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, P.C., practicing civil litigation in its Springfield office.

"During his almost 15 years of service as a judge on this court, Judge Garrison has been a superb student of the law, a wonderful colleague and a great friend," Judge Gary W. Lynch, the court's current chief judge, said in a written statement.

Garrison earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1964 from Drury College in Springfield and his law degree in 1966 from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

He worked in private practice in Ozark and Springfield from 1966 to 1992, except for a brief stint as prosecuting attorney of Christian County in 1971 and 1972.

In 2001, he served on the state's redistricting commission, a panel of six appeals judges that redrew the boundaries of Missouri's legislative districts. It was the first time a judicial panel has redrawn maps for both chambers, because citizens panels for the House and Senate failed to agree on redistricting plans.