11 February 2025

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, plans to hear oral arguments for a special docket at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Thursday, February 27, 2025, at Saint Louis University School of Law, 100 North Tucker Boulevard, in St. Louis. The court sessions are open to the public. This special law school docket continues a tradition of the Eastern District convening court in areas outside of the Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis, where the court regularly conducts its sessions. 

“The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District is very pleased to conduct a case docket at Saint Louis University School of Law, allowing the students to attend and witness these substantive, compelling oral arguments,” Chief Judge Thomas C. Clark II said. “At the docket’s conclusion, the judges and I are very much looking forward to answering questions, explaining some of the procedural issues and interacting with these students interested in pursuing a future legal career. We hope they find this a valuable experience while expanding their understanding of the court system, the appellate process and the rule of law.” 

Four judges from the court of appeals are scheduled to participate: Judges Thomas C. Clark II, Gary M. Gaertner Jr., Philip M. Hess and James M. Dowd. The judges will sit in panels of three to hear oral arguments in two appeals from the St. Louis County and St. Louis city circuit courts. After the court session, the judges will participate in a question-and-answer session with students and other audience members regarding courts, the role of judges and the judicial system.

Clark was appointed to the court of appeals in 2021 after serving as a circuit judge, an associate circuit judge and an assistant circuit attorney in the city of St. Louis. Gaertner was appointed to the court of appeals in 2009. He previously served as a circuit judge, a federal prosecutor for the United States attorney’s office and a state prosecutor. Hess was appointed to the court of appeals in 2013. Previously, he practiced law in St. Louis in private practice. Dowd was appointed in 2015 after practicing law in St. Louis at The James M. Dowd Law Firm, Dowd & Dowd, and Watson & Dameron. 

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is the state’s largest appellate court, with offices in the historic Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis. There are 14 judges on the court, which handles approximately 41 percent of the intermediate appellate caseload in Missouri. The Eastern District has jurisdiction over appeals from circuit courts in 25 counties and the city of St. Louis. The court regularly hears cases in St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau and other locations in the Eastern District.

Contact: Morgan A. Coleman, clerk of court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District 

(314) 539-4300