Biography

Circuit Judge Jennifer M. Phillips was appointed by Governor Jay Nixon and took the oath of office on March 2, 2015.

Judge Phillips was raised in Milan, a small town in north Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication from University of Missouri in Columbia, as well as her J.D. degree.  Following law school, Judge Phillips worked in the General Counsel’s office at the Missouri Department of Revenue. She then joined the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. At the time of her appointment, Judge Phillips was the Chief Trial Assistant of the Violent Crimes Unit, supervising attorneys and support staff.

In 2007, her colleagues voted Judge Phillips as the Victim Advocate of the Year.  In both 2008 and 2010, she received the Patrick B. Hall Trial Attorney of the Year Award from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.  She was honored with the Lon O. Hocker Award from the Missouri Bar Association in 2011.