Judge W. Stephen Nixon was appointed by Governor Mel Carnahan on March 2, 1998, to the position of Circuit Judge in Jackson County, Missouri, Division 5. Division 5 is located in Independence, Missouri. He received his J.D law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1975, and his B.A. degree in Economics from UMKC in 1973. He is married, has a son and 3 grandchildren. Judge Nixon started a solo law practice in February, 1976. He was a founding member of Ahmann, Stewart & Nixon, PC., a law firm that had its offices in Independence, Missouri. He was engaged in private practice for 22 years, primarily in the area of civil law, real estate law and representing small businesses. Prior to his judicial appointment, he was elected Mayor of Lake Lotawana in 1995, a position that he held until his appointment to the Bench. He served as president of the Eastern Jackson County Bar Association in 1994-1995. Judge Nixon spent his first two years on the bench assigned to hear contested Family Law cases. He was then assigned to a combined Family Law and Civil case docket for one year. Judge Nixon served as Family Court Administrative Judge from January 1, 2002 until December 31, 2003. His responsibility as Family Court Administrative Judge was to be the Juvenile Court Judge and he was also responsible for administrative supervision over the Jackson County Family Court. Judge Nixon is currently assigned to hear Criminal cases, Civil cases and contested Family Law cases in Independence. |