10 January 2024

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will convene court at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The oral arguments are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Yates-Gill College Union on campus.

A three-judge panel consisting of Chief Judge Gary Witt, Judge Cynthia Martin and Special Judge James Welsh will hear oral arguments in four cases on the docket. After the oral arguments, the judges will take time to discuss the court system and take general questions from the audience.

Witt will preside over the proceedings at William Jewell. He was appointed to the Western District in 2010. Immediately prior to his appointment, he served as an associate circuit judge in Platte County (in the 6th Judicial Circuit). Previously, he practiced law in Platte County and served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Witt is a 1987 graduate of William Jewell College. Martin joined the Western District in 2009. She practiced law in Kansas City and Lee’s Summit before joining the court. She is a 1981 graduate of William Jewell College. Welsh served on the Western District for more than 10 years before his retirement in 2018. Previously, Welsh served as a municipal judge, associate circuit judge and circuit judge in Clay County (7th Judicial Circuit). Although retired, Welsh serves as a senior judge and was appointed to sit with this panel by the Supreme Court of Missouri at Witt’s request pursuant to section 476.681 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri.

The court typically convenes court in Kansas City. For more than 25 years, however, the court has held dockets in several of the 45 counties in the court’s jurisdiction, which includes all of northwest Missouri and most of central Missouri. The court hears 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 scheduled to be argued January 31, 2024, at William Jewell College

Contact: Kimberly K. Boeding, clerk of court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District

(816) 889-3600