4 March 2014
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District to hear arguments at Northwest Missouri State University
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will once again convene court at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Chief Judge James Welsh announced today.
On Monday, March 10, a three-judge panel consisting of Western District judges Anthony Rex Gabbert and Victor Howard and Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer will hear oral arguments in three cases in the J.W. Jones Student Union on the Northwest Missouri State University campus beginning at 1 p.m., Welsh said.
He explained that the cases are appeals from previously held trials in area circuit courts. The judges will hear attorneys argue whether the trials had errors, which should cause them to be retried, or the trial court's judgment reversed, he said. The judges will read written arguments before the court session, he added, and may interrupt the attorneys' arguments with questions.
The three judges will take a break in between cases and remain after the court session to discuss the court system and generally explain proceedings, Welsh said.
The March 10 session will be the sixth time the Western District has convened in Maryville. In 1993 the court heard oral arguments at the Nodaway County courthouse. Since 2010 the court has convened annually at the university. The Western District convenes regularly at its courthouse in Kansas City. The Western District has jurisdiction over appeals from trial courts in 45 counties which includes all of northwest Missouri and most of central Missouri.
Gabbert will preside over the proceedings at Northwest Missouri State. He is the newest member of the Western District, having assumed his office in April 2013. Before becoming an appellate judge, he served as an associate circuit and circuit judge in Clay County for 19 years. Howard has been a judge on the Western District since 1996. Prior to joining the court of appeals, he was a circuit judge in Clay County for three and one-half years. Fischer, a native of Rockport, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Missouri in 2008. Previously he was the associate circuit judge for Atchison County and practiced law in Atchison, Holt, Nodaway and Platte counties.
"It is important for the Court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City," Gabbert said. "This gives individuals an opportunity to observe a part of the judicial system they normally do not see. We hope those attending will gain a better understanding of the court's function."
Besides Maryville, during the past 22 years the Court has held sessions in Chillicothe, Columbia, Fulton, Gallatin, Huntsville, Independence, Jefferson City, Keytesville, Kirksville, Lake Ozark, Lexington, Liberty, Linneus, Macon, Marshall, Milan, Nevada, Platte City, Richmond, St. Joseph, Savannah, Trenton, Tuscumbia and Warrensburg.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Terence G. Lord, Clerk of Court
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District
(816) 889-3600 Fax (816) 889-3668
E-mail tlord@courts.mo.gov