JUDGE EDITH MESSINA
Advisor to the Prosecutor
Judge Messina is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1966 she graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from Avila University with which she has maintained a life long association. Immediately after graduation, Judge Messina entered the Peace Corps, and after training at the UCLA she was assigned as a teacher in the northern region of Nigeria. She served in Nigeria until the end of 1968. Upon returning home, she taught GED classes. Eventually the judge entered UMKC School of Law and graduated in 1974. After practicing law for several years, Judge Messina was appointed to the bench in Jackson County by Governor Kit Bond in 1984. She was the first woman appointed to that position in Jackson County. During her tenure on the bench, Judge Messina was responsible for civil, criminal and domestic dockets. In 1993 the judge was assigned as the administrative judge of the Family Court in Jackson County. In 1998 Judge Messina was elected as the Presiding Judge of the circuit court. In addition to her judicial position, she has been an adjunct instructor for several years in the MBA program at Avila University. In 2007 Judge Messina received her M.S. degree in Counseling Psychology from Avila. With her 70th birthday looming Judge Messina retired from the bench on December 31, 2014. She presently works part-time in the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Jackson County, Mo., as a special counselor to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Baker. Judge Messina was honored by the KCMBA in 2008 as a Dean of the Trial Bar. In 2014 she was presented with the Public Official Service Award sponsored by the Lawyers Weekly, and with Judge of the Year award by the Association of the Women Lawyers’ Association.