Powell received his Bachelor of Arts from William Jewell College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1996.
[2] Prior to his judicial service, Powell served as a federal prosecutor for the United States Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri for seven years.
Powell also served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Platte County Prosecutor's Office.
[3] He was a state trial judge for Division 11 of the Jackson County Circuit Court in Missouri.
[5] On April 25, 2017 Governor Eric Greitens appointed Powell to the Supreme Court to fill the seat left by the death of Richard B.