The docket will be held in Glenn Auditorium of Dempster Hall, and the court sessions are open to the public. The Court has held dockets at Southeast Missouri State University on six prior occasions.
After the court session, judges will participate in a question-and-answer session with audience members and students regarding courts, the role of judges and the judicial system.
We are pleased to be able to hold another docket at the University to allow students to see first-hand an appellate court in action, said Chief Judge Philip M. Hess. “As the Court of Appeals for the many counties that make up the Eastern District of Missouri, we hold Court in the northern and southern portions of our district, and do not restrict ourselves to hearing cases only in the main Courthouse in St. Louis.
Southeast President Carlos Vargas said, On behalf of the University, I would like to extend our gratitude to the Judges who have scheduled this docket on campus to give Southeast students, especially those in business law, pre-law, and political science, an opportunity to view the proceedings first-hand. We especially appreciate the opportunity for students and faculty to be able to have discussions with the judges regarding the cases presented. We anticipate having several classes take advantage of this opportunity.
Three judges from the Court of Appeals will be participating: Chief Judge Philip M. Hess, Judge Gary M. Gaertner Jr., and Judge Lisa P. Page. The judges will sit as a panel to hear oral arguments from attorneys involved in cases appealed from trial courts in Cape Girardeau, Madison and St. Louis counties.
Judge Hess was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2013 and has served as Chief Judge since July 1. Previously, he practiced law in St. Louis in private practice. Judge Gaertner was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2009. He previously served as a Circuit Judge, a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorneys Office and a state prosecutor. Judge Page, one of the Courts newest judges, was appointed in December 2015 after serving as a Circuit Judge, a Family Court Commissioner and a municipal judge.
The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is the states largest appellate court, with offices in the historic Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis. There are 14 judges on the court, which handles approximately 50 percent of the intermediate appellate caseload in Missouri. The court regularly hears cases in St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau and other locations in the Eastern District.
To receive a copy of the Southern Division-Cape Girardeau October docket, visit the Courts web site at www.courts.mo.gov, select Court of Appeals from the About Your Courts drop down menu, select Court of Appeals and then further select Eastern District and Eastern District Cases Docketed.