Judge Joe Don McGaugh of Carrollton, MO; slacker, loser

The state of Missouri provided Joe Don McGaugh with a law license in 2010 after he graduated from the Missouri-Kansas City University School of Law.

FYI: Former Gov. Eric Greitens appointed Joey an 8^th Judicial Circuit Court Judge in 2017. Joey didn’t receive the appointment because he was the most qualified attorney in the greater Carroll County area. He received it because he had proven to be a reliable lackey for the local political hacks.

The Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges found Joey guilty of engaging in the following misconduct.

• Engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
• Joey falsely told judicial regulators and attorneys that he had delivered judgments to court clerks in unresolved cases
• Engaged in conduct involving fraud, deceit, dishonesty, or misrepresentation
• In one case, Joey closed evidence on a child custody and support modification case in April 2018 but did not issue a decision until April 2024 
• Failed to act with due diligence (slacker)
• Irrefutable facts establish that Joey’s conduct imposed hardships on family waiting for him to rule
• Uncontested allegations also establish he was untruthful with attorneys, parties, and the commission on multiple occasions
• Joey’s performance issues extend well beyond his own grossly untimely performance of his duties
• Joey repeatedly failed to respond to court staff and, even worse, blamed court staff when he knew he failed to perform his judicial duties
• Failed to uphold the integrity of the judiciary
• Joey severely impacted the lives of individuals who relied on the justice system for timely resolutions to legal disputes
• Joey’s serial misconduct represents a near total abdication of these core responsibilities.
• Failed to rule on pending child custody case for over five (5) years
• Failed to comply with the law (scofflaw)
• Engaged in an egregious failure to discharge his core judicial responsibilities
• Completely failed to timely perform his duties
• Engaged in a pattern of dishonesty toward lawyers, parties, court staff
• Knowingly acted in a pattern of dishonest conduct toward the ethics commission (Screw you, said Joey!)

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Missouri Supreme Court punished Joey by suspending him from the bench for one year. Put simply, Joey will be back on the bench dispensing his so-called brand of jurisprudence in early 2026.

As we speak (ca. June 2025), it is rumored that Joey has an application pending for a job as a men’s restroom attendant at the Moonlight Adult Boutique at 8910 East US Highway 40 in Kansas City, Missouri.