The Griffon News

Missouri Western was once again given the opportunity to have the Missouri Court of Appeals visit campus.
The Court sat at Western at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007, in the Kemper Recital Hall inside the Leah Spratt Multipurpose Building.

A three-judge panel which consisted of Lisa White Hardwick, James M. Smart and Platte County Associate Circuit Judge Gary D. Witt heard oral arguments in three cases.

These cases were actually appeals from previ­ously held trials in area circuit courts. 

The attorneys argued whether the trials had errors that would cause them to be retried, or the trial court’s judgement inverted.

The judges read written arguments and occa­sionally interrupted the attorneys’ arguments to ask questions.

The Missouri Appellate Court is not required to travel around to hear these cases.

Criminal Justice Professor Larry D. Andrews explained how nice it is for the Court to travel to Western’s campus every year to do this.

“It is a gracious act for them to come and won­derful for students,” Andrews said. “10 percent of the whole student body (500 students) shows up, so its kind of a big deal.”

He believes the opportunity to attend this yearly event is a wonderful experience for everyone, but especially for students studying Criminal Justice or Journalism.

Andrews said the Court of Appeals enjoys travel­ing around – it’s more of a public relations thing.

It was Judge Hardwick who presided over the trial, and in 2001 she was appointed to the Western District.

She formerly served as a trial judge in Jackson County and practiced law for 14 years in Kansas City.

In 1991, Judge Smart was allotted to the Western District, having previously served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County.
 
Judge Witt has been an associate circuit judge in Platte County every since he was appointed in 1998.