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Cristian M. Stevens

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Cristian M. Stevens
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Tenure
2025 - Present
Years in position
0
Predecessor:Audrey Fleissig (Nonpartisan)
Prior offices:
Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District
Years in office: 2021 - 2025
Successor:Kathleen Hamilton (Nonpartisan)
Compensation
Base salary
$188,267
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Contact

Cristian M. Stevens is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on May 12, 2025, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on July 22, 2025, by a vote of 50-47.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Prior to joining the court, Stevens was a judge of theMissouri Court of Appeals Eastern District. Gov.Mike Parson (R) appointed Stevens to theMissouri Court of Appeals Eastern District on October 22, 2021, to replaceRobin Ransom.[4]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (2025-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On May 6, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Stevens to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.[1] He officially nominated Stevens on May 12, 2025. He was confirmed by a 50-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on July 22, 2025.[2] Stevens received commission on July 23, 2025.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Cristian M. Stevens
Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Progress
Confirmed 71 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: May 12, 2025
ApprovedAABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: June 4, 2025
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: June 26, 2025 
ApprovedAConfirmed: July 22, 2025
ApprovedAVote: 50-47


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Stevens by a vote of 50-47 on July 22, 2025.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Stevens confirmation vote (July 22, 2025)
PartyYeaNayNo vote
Electiondot.pngDemocratic0450
Ends.pngRepublican5003
Grey.png Independent020
Total50[5]473

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Stevens was reported to the full Senate on June 26, 2025, after a 12-10 committee vote.[6]

Nomination

On May 6, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Cristian Stevens to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He officially nominated Stevens on May 12, 2025.[2] As of May 12, 2025, Stevens was awaiting a hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee.Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by PresidentDonald Trump.

Stevens was nominated to replace JudgeAudrey Fleissig, who assumedsenior status on April 14, 2023.[7]

TheAmerican Bar Association (ABA) rated Stevenswell qualified.[8] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

Cristian Stevens earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri in 1995 and a J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1998.[9]

Professional career

Before he was appointed to the court of appeals, Stevens was the first assistant attorney general for the State of Missouri. Stevens also served as an assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri and as an associate attorney at the law firm of Bryan Cave. He previously clerked for the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Stevens earned his B.A. andJ.D. from the University of Missouri–Columbia.[4]

Elections

2024

See also: Missouri intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

Cristian M. Stevens was retained to theMissouri Court of Appeals Eastern District onNovember 5, 2024 with 61.8% of the vote.

Retention
 Vote
%
Votes
✔
Yes
 
61.8
 
622,575
No
 
38.2
 
384,129
Total Votes
1,006,704

Ballotpedia Logo

It has been certified. Source


Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Stevens in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cristian M. Stevens did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Cristian M. Stevens campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern DistrictWon general$0 $0
Grand total$0 $0
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

About the court

Eastern District of Missouri
Eighth Circuit
E.D.Mo. Seal.svg
Judgeships
Posts: 9
Judges: 9
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Stephen Clark
Active judges:
Henry Autrey,Zachary Bluestone,Stephen Clark,Joshua Divine,Maria Lanahan,Sarah Pitlyk,Matthew Schelp,Cristian M. Stevens,Brian C. Wimes

Senior judges:
Edward Filippine,Audrey Fleissig,Jean Hamilton,Nanette Laughrey,Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.,Catherine Perry,John A. Ross,Rodney Sippel,E. Richard Webber


TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is one of 94United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses inCape Girardeau,St. Louis, andHannibal, Missouri. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtownSt. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.

The Eastern District of Missouri hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Missouri consists of all the followingcounties in the eastern part of the state ofMissouri.

There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheEastern Division, coveringCrawford,Dent,Franklin,Gasconade,Iron,Jefferson,Lincoln,Maries,Phelps,Saint Charles,Saint Francois,Sainte Genevieve,Saint Louis,Warren, andWashington counties, as well as the City of St. Louis.

TheNorthern Division, coveringAdair,Audrain,Chariton,Clark,Knox,Lewis,Linn,Macon,Marion,Monroe,Montgomery,Pike,Ralls,Randolph,Schuyler,Scotland, andShelby counties.

TheSoutheastern Division, coveringBollinger,Butler,Cape Girardeau,Carter,Dunklin,Madison,Mississippi,New Madrid,Pemiscot,Perry,Reynolds,Ripley,Scott,Shannon,Stoddard, andWayne counties.

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


See also


External links

Personal

  • Website

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑1.01.1Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," accessed May 7, 2025
    2. ↑2.02.12.22.3Congress.gov, "PN150-6 — Cristian M. Stevens — The Judiciary," accessed May 15, 2025
    3. ↑3.03.1The Federal Judicial Center, "Stevens, Cristian Matthew," accessed July 23, 2025
    4. ↑4.04.1Office of Governor Mike Parson, "Governor Parson appoints first assistant attorney general Cristian M. Stevens to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District," October 22, 2021
    5. ↑Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
    6. ↑U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "RESULTS OF COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING," June 26, 2025
    7. ↑U.S. Courts, "Current Judicial Vacancies," April 14, 2023
    8. ↑American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed June 26, 2025
    9. ↑FJC, "Judicial Nomination Commission," accessed October 10, 2025

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    Chief Judge: Stephen Clark (Missouri)  •  Henry Autrey  •  Brian C. Wimes  •  Sarah Pitlyk  •  Matthew Schelp  •  Maria Lanahan  •  Zachary Bluestone

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    Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain

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