Judge Joseph Ellis
For the eighteenth consecutive year, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court at Missouri Western State University. The Court will sit at Missouri Western on Tuesday, October 13, 2015.
A three-judge panel consisting of Western District Judges Joseph Ellis and Gary Witt and Missouri Supreme Court Zel Fischer will hear oral arguments in three cases. Arguments will begin at 9:30 a.m., and will once again be held at the Kemper Recital Hall located inside Spratt Hall on campus. The cases involve appeals for a conviction on the use of a child in a sexual performance, a driving while intoxicated conviction, and a fine for violating the city of St. Joseph’s Smoke-Free Indoor Air Ordinance of 2014.
Chief Judge Alok Ahuja explained that the cases are appeals from previously held trials in area circuit courts. During oral arguments, the three-judge panel will hear attorneys argue whether error occurred in the trial below requiring retrial or reversal of the trial court’s judgment. Ahuja also commented that the judges read written arguments before the court session, and may interrupt arguments from the attorneys with questions.
The judges will break at some point during the session to explain the judicial system in general and the appellate judiciary in particular, Ahuja said.
The Court has made it a practice to convene yearly in St. Joseph. It regularly convenes in Kansas City and has jurisdiction over appeals from trial courts in 45 counties in western and central Missouri.
Ellis will preside over the proceedings at Missouri Western. He is currently the longest tenured judge in Missouri’s appellate judiciary, having been appointed in 1993. Prior to his appointment, he practiced law in Macon for 21 years. Witt was appointed to the court in 2010. Immediately before his appointment, he served as a trial judge in Platte County. Previously, he practiced law in Platte County and served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Fischer, a native of Rockport, was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in 2008. Previously, he was the associate circuit judge for Atchison County and practiced law in northwest Missouri. He is sitting with the Western District by special appointment.
“It is important for the Court to convene oral arguments outside of Kansas City,” Ellis 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 23 years, the Court has held sessions in Chillicothe, Clinton, Columbia, Fulton, Gallatin, Huntsville, Independence, Jefferson City, Keytesville, Kirksville, Lexington, Liberty, Linneus, Macon, Marshall, Maryville, Milan, Moberly, Nevada, Platte City, Richmond, Rockport, St. Joseph, Savannah, Trenton, Tuscumbia and Warrensburg.
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.