NW Missouri Times

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, is set to convene at Northwest Missouri State University on Tuesday, April 9, as reported on Mar 27, 2024. The court session, starting at 1 p.m. in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom, will be open to the public.

Presiding Judge Doug Thomson, along with Alok Ahuja and Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Zel Fischer, will form a three-judge panel to hear oral arguments in two cases during the session. Following the arguments, the judges will engage in discussions about the court system, clarify the proceedings, and address questions from the audience.

Thomson, who became part of the Western District in 2020, previously held the position of an associate circuit judge for Nodaway County in the Fourth Judicial Circuit for over five years. Ahuja, appointed to the Western District in 2007, brings experience from practicing law in Washington, D.C., and Kansas City. Fischer, who joined the Supreme Court of Missouri in 2008, served as an associate circuit judge in Atchison County within the Fourth Judicial Circuit and practiced law in Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, and Platte counties before his appointment to the Supreme Court.

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, has been convening at Northwest since 2010, deviating from its usual location in Kansas City. This practice aims to provide individuals with the opportunity to observe a different aspect of the judicial system and acquaint attendees with the court's role in the legal system across its jurisdiction encompassing northwest Missouri and most of central Missouri.