23 October 2012
Appeals court to hear arguments at Lincoln University in Jefferson City
KANSAS CITY. Mo. -- For the third time in as many years, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court at Lincoln University, Chief Judge James Welsh announced today. Beginning at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, oral arguments will take place in the Scruggs Ballroom located in the Scruggs University Center. The public is invited.
A three-judge panel consisting of Welsh, Western District judge Mark Pfeiffer and Boone County Associate Circuit Judge Deborah Daniels will listen to arguments in three cases. Welsh 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 would 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 judges will take a break between cases to answer questions about the court system in Missouri, especially the appellate courts.
Welsh will preside over the proceedings at Lincoln. He was appointed to the western district in 2007 and has served as the court’s chief judge since July 1, 2012. Previously he practiced law for 10 years and then served successively as a municipal judge, associate circuit judge and circuit judge in Clay County. Pfeiffer was appointed to the western district in 2009. Before assuming the bench, he practiced law in Springfield and Columbia. Daniels is sitting by special appointment of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She was elected to the Boone County bench in 2006 and was reelected in 2010. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Boone County and an assistant attorney general for the state.
The Court of Appeals, Western District convenes regularly at its courthouse in downtown Kansas City, but it also convenes frequently in other locations within the western district. In the last 21 years, the court has held sessions in Chillicothe, Clinton, Columbia, Gallatin, Huntsville, Independence, Jefferson City, Keytesville, Kirksville, Lexington, Liberty, Linneus, Macon, Marshall, Maryville, Milan, Nevada, Platte City, Richmond, St. Joseph, Savannah, Trenton, Tuscumbia and Warrensburg. The western district consists of 45 counties in central and western Missouri.
"It is important for the court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City," Welsh 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."
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Contact: Terence G. Lord, Clerk of Court
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District
(816) 889-3600
tlord@courts.mo.gov