24 June 2024

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, will convene court at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at Lindenwood University’s Hyland Arena, 209 Kingshighway, in St. Charles in conjunction with Missouri Girls State and Missouri Boys State. At the docket, attorneys will argue an appeal in front of the approximately 1,500 students attending both Missouri Girls State and Missouri Boys State. The court sessions are open to the public.  

“The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is very pleased to conduct oral arguments at Lindenwood University, which is hosting the talented young people participating in the worthwhile activities of Boys State and Girls State,” Chief Judge Thom C. Clark said. “The judges and court personnel are very much looking forward to interacting with these over-achieving students coming from all corners of our state. We hope they find this a valuable experience while expanding their understanding of the court system, the appellate process and the rule of law.”

Three judges from the court of appeals will be participating: Clark, Judge James M. Dowd and Judge Renée Hardin-Tammons. The judges will sit as a panel of three to hear oral arguments from attorneys involved in a civil case appealed from the St. Louis circuit court. 

Clark was appointed to the court of appeals in 2021 after serving as a circuit judge, an associate circuit judge and an assistant circuit attorney in the city of St. Louis. Dowd was appointed in June 2015 after practicing law in St. Louis at The James M. Dowd Law Firm, Dowd & Dowd, and Watson & Dameron. Hardin-Tammons was appointed in September 2022 after serving St. Louis County as a circuit judge and an associate circuit judge. She previously served as a municipal judge and practiced law in St. Louis.

Missouri Boys State is sponsored by the American Legion, and Missouri Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. They exist to teach the fundamentals of citizenship, government and politics to high school juniors in the state of Missouri. Participants learn first-hand the innerworkings of the three branches of state government – the executive, the legislative and the judicial.

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is the state’s largest appellate court, with offices in the historic Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis. There are 14 judges on the court, which regularly hears cases in St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau and other locations in the Eastern District. 

Contact: Laura Thielmeier Roy, clerk of the court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300