7 May 2009

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Appellate Judicial Commission announced today that it will meet beginning at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at the Supreme Court Building, 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, to select a panel of three nominees to fill the vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, created by the Jan. 16, 2009, retirement of Judge Paul M. Spinden, who since has joined the faculty of Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia.

This will be the second of three panels the commission will send to Governor Jay Nixon for vacancies on the Western District. The governor made his selection from the first panel of nominees – for the Judge Ronald R. Holliger vacancy – yesterday.

Following the governor’s selection of one of the nominees from the second panel, to fill the Spinden vacancy, the commission will meet a third time to select a third panel of three nominees for the vacancy created by Judge Joseph P. Dandurand’s resignation. Because the commission does not know when the governor will select a nominee from the second panel of nominees, it cannot announce the date for the commission’s meetings to select the third panel at this time. It will do so as soon as feasible.

Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676