28 September 2006
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, to sit Oct. 18 at The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg
CONTACT: Terence G. Lord, Clerk of Court
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District
Phone: (816) 889-3600
Fax: (816) 889-3668
E-mail: tlord@courts.mo.gov
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For the eighth consecutive year, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court at The University of Central Missouri, Chief Judge Victor C. Howard announced today.
On Oct. 18, 2006, a three-judge panel consisting of Robert G. Ulrich, Harold L. Lowenstein and James M. Smart will hear arguments in four cases beginning at 9:30 a.m. The arguments will be held in Room 240 of the Student Union on the UCM campus.
Howard 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 that 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 during the arguments and will stay after the conclusion of the arguments to discuss the Missouri judicial system in general and the appellate judicial system in particular, Howard said.
This will be the ninth time the Court has convened in Warrensburg and the eighth time it has convened at UCM. It convenes regularly in Kansas City. Its jurisdiction includes appeals from trial courts in 45 counties in central and western Missouri
Ulrich will preside over the proceedings at UCM. He was appointed to the court in 1989. Prior to his appointment, he served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri for eight years. He practiced law in Warrensburg from 1976 to 1977. Lowenstein is the longest-serving appellate judge in the state of Missouri, having been appointed to the court of appeals in 1981. Previously, he served in the Missouri House of Representatives and practiced law in Kansas City. Smart served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County and later engaged in the private practice of law in Kansas City prior to his appointment to the court of appeals in 1991.
"It is important for the Court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City," Ulrich 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."
During the past 15 years, the Court has held sessions in Chillicothe, Clinton, Columbia, Fulton, Gallatin, Huntsville, Independence, Jefferson City, Kirksville, Lexington, Liberty, Linneus, Macon, Marshall, Maryville, Nevada, Platte City, Richmond, St. Joseph, Savannah, Trenton, Tuscumbia and Warrensburg.
###