Judge Thomas Newton
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene court on the campus of Missouri Western State University from 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 12 in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101. The court session is open to the public.
A three-judge panel consisting of Western District Judges Thomas Newton, Cindy Martin and Ted Ardini will hear oral arguments in four cases. The cases are appeals from previously held trials in are circuit courts. During oral arguments, the three-judge panel will hear attorneys argue whether error occurred in the trial, requiring retrial or reversal of the trial court’s judgment. The judges will break during the session to explain the judicial system and the appellate judiciary.
The Western District appeals court has jurisdiction over appeals from trial courts in 45 counties in western and central Missouri.
Newton will preside over the proceedings at Missouri Western. He served as an assistant Jackson County prosecutor and assistant United States attorney before being appointed as a trial judge in Jackson County. He was appointed to the court of appeals in 1999. Martin practiced law in the Kansas City area for 25 years before her appointment to the court of appeals in 2009. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Ardini is the newest judge on the Western District, having been appointed to the court in July 2016. Previously he served in state government as counsel to the Attorney General and then counsel to the Governor.
“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.”
This is the 19th consecutive year that the appeals court has convened at Missouri Western.
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.