Michael E. Gardner, a judge with experience in Perry County, along with W. Ann Hansbrough, has been awarded The Missouri Bar’s 2026 Theodore M. McMillian Judicial Excellence Award for their exceptional work in the judiciary.
According to a press release from the Missouri Bar, the award has been given every year since 2004, and recognizes jurists who, by virtue of their integrity, leadership, and diligence in the pursuit of the efficient administration of justice, inspire other members of the judiciary to similar noble purposes.
“I’m greatly honored and moved to have received this award, very appreciative to the board of governors of the Missouri bar for selecting me to receive it, as I look back on my nearly 12 years on the bench and think about all of the great people I have worked with, including those in Perry County. I feel very. Honored to be part of our judicial system.”
Gardner, a native of Kelso, Missouri, graduated from Notre Dame High school in Cape Girardeau, before going to college at the University of Missouri.
His connection to Perry County goes back to 2014, when he was elected to the 32nd Judicial Court, which covers Perry County, along with Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties. He served on the 32nd Judicial Court until 2020 when he was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, where he has served since.
Gardner said he is grateful for the time he spent on the 32nd Judicial Court and the connection he got to make with Perry County and its citizens.
“My family and I greatly enjoyed meeting so many people in Perry County during that campaign back in 2014,” Gardner said. “Perry County is a very special place and during the five years that I was circuit judge, I really enjoyed being part of that community. We had a great staff during my time at the Well, the Clark’s office in Perry County is an outstanding group of people and the legal community there is really top notch. I’m always pleased when I have a chance to stop and visit Perry County again. Perry County is an amazing place filled with wonderful people and I will always have a special place in my heart for it.”
The award’s namesake, Theodore McMillian, was the first African American to serve on the Missouri Court of Appeals, as well as the first African American to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, where he served from 1978 until his death in 2006, assuming senior status in 2003.
Gardner is a member of the Supreme Court of Missouri’s Civil Rules Committee and is the chair of the Board of Certified Court Reporter Examiners. From 2013 to 2026, he served on the Missouri Board of Law Examiners. He previously served on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors and Young Lawyers’ Section Council and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Bar Foundation.
