13 September 2021

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will convene court beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday, October 4, 2021, at the Linn County Courthouse in Linneus, Missouri.

A panel consisting of Presiding Judge Thomas Chapman, Judge Edward Ardini Jr. and Judge W. Douglas Thomson will hear oral arguments in two of the cases on the docket. For the remaining two cases on the docket, Judge Terry Tschannen, Presiding Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit (Chariton, Linn and Sullivan counties), will join Presiding Judge Chapman and Judge Ardini to hear oral arguments. After the oral arguments, the judges will take time to discuss the court system and take general questions from the gallery.

Judge Chapman will preside over the proceedings in Linneus. He was appointed to the Western District in 2018. Immediately prior to his appointment, he served as a circuit judge for the 43rd Judicial Circuit (Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb and Livingston counties) for more than seven years. Judge Ardini was appointed to the court in 2016. He previously served as counsel to the Missouri attorney general and then as counsel to the governor. Judge Thomson was appointed to the court of appeals in 2020. Prior to that, he served as an associate circuit judge in Nodaway County (in the 4th Judicial Circuit) for more than five years. Judge Tschannen has served as a circuit judge of the 9th circuit since January 2013.

The court convenes regularly in Kansas City. However, for more than 20 years, the Court has held sessions in several of the 45 counties in the Court’s jurisdiction, which includes all of northwest Missouri and most of central Missouri. The court convenes oral arguments outside of Kansas City to give individuals an opportunity to observe a part of the judicial system they normally do not see and to familiarize those attending with the court's role in the judicial system.

Attachment: summaries of cases to be argued

Contact: Kimberly K. Boeding, clerk of court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District

(816) 889-3600