JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has appointed Jackson County Circuit Judge W. Brent Powell to the state Supreme Court. Greitens announced Powell’s selection Tuesday to replace former Judge Richard Teitelman, who died in November.

Powell has been a judge in the Kansas City area since his appointment in 2008 by former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt. He previously worked as an assistant Platte County prosecutor and an assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas City.

In Missouri, a commission screens Supreme Court applicants and recommends three to the governor. The other two candidates Greitens had to pick from had Democratic ties. State Western District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Hardwick has served as a Democrat on the Jackson County Legislature, and attorney Benjamin Lipman has donated to Democratic candidates, though not in recent elections.