Mo. appeals court judge retires

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Another appeals court judge is leaving the bench.

Judge Gary M. Gaertner Sr. is retiring Friday, the Appellate Judicial Commission said Tuesday, and it is accepting applications to fill his slot on the state Court of Appeals' Eastern District.

Gaertner, a St. Louis native, was appointed to the appellate court in 1985 by former Republican Gov. John Ashcroft. He first became a circuit judge in 1969. The court did not say what Gaertner plans to do now.

Gaertner also has been chairman of the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges, which investigates complaints of judicial misconduct.

Several judges recently have announced they are leaving the bench.

Southern District Appeals Court Judge Phillip R. Garrison is leaving in September to return to private law practice. A judge on the court's Western District, Robert Ulrich, resigned Aug. 1 to teach at a law school in Virginia. And appellate Judge Edwin H. Smith left the Western District court in July to return to private practice.

That court's chief judge, Judge Victor C. Howard, said Smith was years away from required retirement, but that the departure was an example of how hard it is to keep judges on the bench rather than pursuing more lucrative work in the private sector.

An appellate court judge in Missouri must be at least 30 years old, have a Missouri law license, be a U.S. citizen for at least 15 years and qualified to vote in Missouri for at least nine years.