Judge Joel Fahnestock was appointed to the bench on January 6, 2009. Prior to her appointment, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division. She began her career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Scott O. Wright, United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Missouri. She then joined the law firm of Rouse, Hendricks, German, May and Shank and later the law firm of Shank, Laue and Hamilton. She spent nine months in the Drug Unit of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office before joining the United States Attorney’s Office.

Judge Fahnestock is a member of the Missouri Bar and several professional associations. In 2024, she accepted the JoEllen Flanagan Engelbart Public Service Award on behalf of the Jackson County Criminal Mediation Program which she developed and implemented. In early 2025, she spoke at the Texas A&M Law Annual Dispute Resolution Symposium about criminal mediation. In 2022, she was awarded the Honorable Clifford Ahrens Excellence in Technical Advancements Award by the Missouri Supreme Court for her contributions to the Missouri Court Automation Committee (Vice-Chair), the Implementation Planning Task Team (Chair), the Case Management Oversight Team, and various technology working groups. In 2017, she was named Mentor of the Year by Missouri Lawyers Media. She was recognized for her outstanding work and contributions to the United States Attorney’s Office in both 2007 and 2008. While at UMKC School of Law, she received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award; the National Association of Women Lawyers Award; the ABA National Trial Competition Award; the Clark Boardman Callaghan Award for Exemplary Third Year Student; and several American Jurisprudence Awards. She competed on the trial team and served as a Note Editor for the UMKC Law Review. 

Judge Fahnestock presides over civil, criminal, and domestic cases. She also mediates criminal cases upon request.