The Hon. R. Craig Carter is a judge for the 44th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri. He was elected to the bench on November 6, 2012.
The 44th Judicial Circuit includes Douglas County, Ozark County, and Wright County.
Prior to his election, Carter was an associate judge for the 44th Judicial Circuit, a position to which he was named by former Governor Matt Blunt in 2005. Before that, he worked as an attorney in private practice (2000 to 2005).
Carter earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southwest Missouri State University in 1997. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law in 2000.
His memberships have included the Missouri Bar Association as well as the Ava and Mansfield Lodges A.F. & A.M. Carter attends Trinity Lutheran Church in Ava.
Carter was born in Springfield, Missouri. A veteran of the 2nd Ranger Battalion of the United States Army (1989 to 1991), he participated in Operation Justice Cause in Panama in 1989. He was also involved with the 10th, 12th, and 20th Special Forces Groups (1993 to 2002).
He is registered as a Republican.