Texas County Associate Circuit Judge Brad Ellsworth, in a letter dated Tuesday, announced his retirement effective Dec. 31 to Gov. Matt Blunt.
Ellsworth turns 70 in February.
The mandatory retirement age for judges is 70.
Blunt will name a replacement to complete the judge’s remaining two years on his term, which began Jan. 1, 2007.
Ellsworth, a Republican, is a former Texas County prosecutor. He was appointed to that job in May 1989 and served through 1994. He returned to private practice and began serving as the county’s only associate circuit judge in 2003.