Mary Sheffield

Judge, Missouri Court of Appeals

Mary Sheffield has served as a Judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, since 2012. Before that, she was a Circuit Judge for the 25th Judicial Circuit of Missouri from 2004 to 2012 and an Associate Circuit Judge from 1983 to 2004. In 2003, she was appointed as one of three U.S. International Liaison Network Judges for the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, reflecting her expertise in international family law and child protection.

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Judge Sheffield earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami Law School and studied abroad at Magdalen College, Oxford University. Over her long judicial career, she has been honored with multiple prestigious awards, including Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Women’s Justice Public Official Award, the Chief Justice Award for Public Service, the Bramlett-Light Award, the Missouri Gavel Award, and the CASA HOPE Award. Her leadership and dedication have made a significant impact in both the Missouri legal system and international child welfare.