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Election 2022

Judge Gebhardt announces bid for 4th term

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 1/11/22

Howard County Associate Circuit Judge Mason Gebhardt announced that he will run for re-election as on the Republican ticket in the 2022 August primary and November general elections.

Gebhardt has …

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Election 2022

Judge Gebhardt announces bid for 4th term

Posted

Howard County Associate Circuit Judge Mason Gebhardt announced that he will run for re-election as on the Republican ticket in the 2022 August primary and November general elections.

Gebhardt has served as Associate Circuit Judge since 2011. Prior to that, he held the position of Howard County Prosecuting attorney from 1998 to 2010.

In 1998, Gebhardt was the first Republican ever to hold office in this county. Before that, no Democrat running for any office in Howard County had ever lost a race since the Whig Party faded away in the late 1850s.

If elected, Gebhardt will serve his fourth term as Associate Circuit Judge. He ran unopposed in both 2014 and 2018.

The filing period for the 2022 August 2 primary and November 8 general elections opens on February 22 and closes at 5 p.m. on March 29.

Gebhardt said that the main issue faced by the Howard County legal system over the last two years has been the continuing challenges posed by covid-19. “Our Circuit has done its best to ensure that cases continue to be heard in a timely manner while keeping our courtrooms safe and open to the public,” he said. “We had an enormous backlog after the statewide closure of courts in 2020, but have managed to get most of the outstanding caseload caught up since then. Obviously, judges don’t decide what cases get filed or by whom, but our job is to make sure they get heard efficiently and objectively.”

Howard County and Randolph County make up the 14th Judicial Circuit in Missouri. Currently, Gebhardt is assigned all of the probate, adult abuse, family law, landlord-tenant, and small claims cases, as well as the Class C, D, and E felony criminal cases in the circuit. 

This caseload means that Judge Gebhardt has had to evenly split time between the Howard and Randolph counties, with an average of around 200 to 250 cases per week on the dockets. “If you don’t see me in the Howard County Courthouse on a given day it means I’m up in Randolph county,” he said.

In a press release issued on Friday, Judge Gebhardt said he would continue to work to safeguard a fair, non-political justice system in the 14th circuit, a system that is mindful of every person’s individual rights as well as the safety of the community. “I shall continue to do my best to protect both, as well as to ensure that every person who comes in the courtroom is treated with courtesy and respect. I love my job, I love our county, and I’ve never forgotten (nor will I ever forget) that I am an employee of our people.”

Judge Gebhardt extended appreciation to those with whom he has worked during his time of service. “It takes a lot of persons to keep our local justice system going, and I’m grateful to our Circuit Clerk, Charlie Joe Flaspohler, and his able and efficient staff for their daily hard work to keep things running smoothly; as well as to the Howard County Sheriff’s Department and our municipal police departments for keeping the courtroom safe on law days.

“I also want to thank our Presiding Judge, Scott Hayes, and Randolph County Associate Judge James Cooksey, for making this a collegial circuit in which to work,” Gebhardt continued. “Judge Cooksey has handled all of our juvenile cases on top of his normal caseload. Judge Hayes, in addition to his normal dockets, has worked so very hard to get our jury trials caught up since the closure, and I’m also glad that he has been there to deal with the many administrative headaches that have come up over the last couple of years.”

Judge Gebhardt is a life-long resident of Howard County. A graduate of St. Mary’s Grade School in Glasgow and Fayette High School, he received his undergraduate degree at Mizzou and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has one daughter, Olivia, who is a freshman at UMKC.

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