Gary M. Gaertner Jr. tried two years ago to replace his father, Gary M. Gaertner Sr., on the Missouri Court of Appeals, but then-Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Kurt Odenwald instead. Undeterred, Gaertner applied again, and Monday, Gov. Jay Nixon chose Gaertner to replace Booker T. Shaw on the appellate court in St. Louis. Shaw retired in January after more than 25 years as a trial or appellate judge. Gaertner, 44, has been a circuit judge in St. Louis County for nine years. Since January 2008, he has handled the probate docket. Nixon said Gaertner had "proven his judicial ability … presiding over trials that were often complex, difficult and high-profile."