For the fifteenth consecutive year, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court at Missouri Western State University. The court will sit at Missouri Western at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in the Kemper Recital Hall, inside Leah Spratt Hall.
A three-judge panel consisting of Thomas Newton, Joseph Ellis and Gary Witt will hear oral arguments in four cases. 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. The judges will read written arguments before the court session and may interrupt the attorneys’ arguments with questions.
The judges will break sometime during the arguments to explain the judicial system in general and the appellate judiciary in particular.
The Court has made it a practice to convene yearly in St. Joseph. It convenes regularly in Kansas City. Its jurisdiction is appeals from trial courts in 45 counties in western and central Missouri.
Newton will preside over the proceedings at Missouri Western. He served as a trial judge in Jackson County for six years prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals in 1999. Previously he served as an assistant Jackson County prosecuting attorney and an assistant United States Attorney. Ellis was appointed to the Western District in 1993. Previously, he practiced law in Macon. Witt is the newest member of the Western District, having been appointed in 2010. Immediately before his appointment, he served as a trial judge for the circuit court of Platte County. Previously, he had practiced law in Platte County and served in the Missouri House of Representatives.
“It is important for the Court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City,” Newton 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.”
The court will hear oral arguments in both criminal and civil cases. The cases involve child pornography, murder, workers’ compensation and liability for an eye injury caused by a hot dog thrown during a Kansas City Royals game.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.