Missouri Supreme Court Judge Paul Wilson is starting a new role as the state's chief justice.
Wilson began a two-year term Thursday as the top judge, succeeding Judge George Draper, who remains on the court.
Missouri's chief justice position rotates every two years. Wilson was a longtime aide to former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, both in the governor's office and when Nixon served as attorney general.
Nixon appointed Wilson to temporarily fill a vacancy on the Cole County Circuit Court in 2010 and then appointed him to the Supreme Court in December 2012.