1 July 2011

ST. LOUIS -- Judge Kurt S. Odenwald has been elected Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, by unanimous vote of the judges of the court. His one-year term will begin on July 1, 2011. The chief judge is the chief administrative officer of the court, presides at court en banc meetings and represents the court to the public.  

Judge Odenwald was appointed to the Eastern District in October 2007. He graduated from University of Missouri-St. Louis magna cum laude and St. Louis University School of Law cum laude. He was elected to the St. Louis County Council, serving as a member from 1990-2006 and as the chairman in 2001-2002 and 2006. Prior to his appointment to the Eastern District, Judge Odenwald worked as an assistant public defender in the city of St. Louis and corporate counsel for Anheuser-Busch Inc. before entering private practice at Guilfoil Petzall & Shoemake. Past civic involvement includes membership on the boards of Character Plus, St. Louis Eastern Seals Society, the St. Louis ARC and the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister City Committee.  

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, hears appeals from the trial courts in 25 counties in eastern Missouri and the city of St. Louis. It is the largest court in the state appellate system, with 14 judges and a workload of approximately 1,600 cases per year. The court is located in the historic Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis but regularly holds sessions at various locations throughout the district.
 

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For more information contact
Laura Thielmeier Roy
(314) 539-4300