Governor Mike Parson recently announced judicial appointments to the 11th and 12th Judicial Circuits, with a familiar name on the list.

Melissa Buckman Young, of Mexico, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for Audrain County in the 12th Judicial Circuit. Notified Feb. 23, it came as a bit of a surprise; at least timing-wise. Young had been notified she’d be called at nine, but that didn’t happen.

“I had already written it off after having to wait another week to find out before that call came in,” she said. “When the call was made, I was actually at the Mexico High School preparing to speak with the JAG (Jobs for Amercia's Graduates) classes as their guest speaker.”

The timing worked out, and she was happy to share the news.

“Besides a very quick call to my husband and my parents,” she said, “the next people I told the news to was a group of high school students.”

Young explains her initial emotions.

“My first reaction was gratitude - gratitude to the Governor for appointing me to complete Judge Hamlett's term,” she said. “I was confident that I was the best candidate for the position, but it is rewarding to have Governor Parson acknowledge it.”

And she is grateful for those who surround her daily life.

“I also felt a great deal of gratitude to the people in Audrain County who supported me through the appointment process, especially my husband,” she said. “My next reaction was a feeling of calm and of determination.  I know that I will be a good judge and serve our county well for many years to come.”

She looks forward to the new challenge.

“I will bring a wealth of experience in a broad spectrum of legal matters,” she said, “and an even judicial temperament to the bench.”

Young is currently owner of Melissa Buckman Young, Attorney at Law, LLC. Her private practice, based in Audrain County for well over a decade, has tasked her with a multitude of different legal matters, ranging from family law, real estate, prosecution for the cities of Mexico, Martinsburg and Farber, estate planning, municipal law, probate, adoptions, guardianships, and more. She will close her practice in the coming weeks before she starts at the courthouse, April 1.   

“I am also a certified mediator,” she said. “I have litigated cases in nearly all fields of the law, including collection cases, probate including guardianships, orders of protection, and evictions.  These are areas of the law that will come before me frequently as an associate judge.”

Young has served Audrain County as its guardian ad litem for several years, representing the best interests of children in numerous matters, including children in custody cases and those in foster care. Through this role, she worked as a neutral party, investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect and advocating for children.

And her work as mediator will complement her approach from the bench.

“As a mediator, I also am in a neutral role, working to facilitate a negotiation between parties,” she said. “Being accustomed to working as a neutral party in high-tension cases will aid me in my new position as judge.”

She looks to deliver a straightforward approach.

“My judicial philosophy is pretty simple: Follow the law and treat everyone with respect,” Young said. “It has been said that the court system is the great equalizer in our country.  I wholeheartedly agree.  It does not matter a person's race, gender, orientation or socio-economic status, the law should apply the same to everyone.  It is not a judge's role to make the law, it is a judge's job to make fair decisions within the confines of the law.”

Melissa Buckman Young holds a bachelor of science in agricultural education and a juris doctor from the University of Missouri–Columbia. She will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Linda R. Hamlett.