Appellate court to hold arguments at Hannibal High School in September 2025

17 September 2025

ST. LOUIS – Students and faculty are expected to attend the court sessions of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, when it convenes at 9:30, 10, and 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 24, 2025, to hear three cases for a special Northern Division docket at Hannibal High School in the Auditorium, 4500 McMasters Avenue, in Hannibal. The court sessions are open to the public. The court regularly conducts oral arguments at various locations, including high schools, throughout the Eastern District.

“The Court of Appeals Eastern District of Missouri is very pleased to conduct a docket at Hannibal High School, extending the court’s accessibility to the citizens and hopefully expanding the understanding of the court system, the appellate process, and the rule of law,” Chief Judge John P. Torbitzky said.

Four judges from the court of appeals will be participating in the docket: Torbitzky; Judge Robert M. Clayton III, Judge Michael S. Wright, and Judge Rebeca Navarro-McKelvey. The judges will sit as a panel of three to hear oral arguments in three appeals from the Lewis County, Clark County and Shelby County circuit courts. 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. 

Torbitzky was appointed to the court of appeals in 2021 after engaging in the private practice of law in St. Louis. Clayton was appointed to the court of appeals in 2011. He previously served as chairman of the Public Service Commission and as a Missouri state representative, and was also in the private practice of law in Hannibal. Wright was appointed to the court of appeals in September 2023 after serving as an associate circuit judge and as the Warren County prosecuting attorney. Navarro-McKelvey was appointed to the court of appeals in December 2023 after serving as an associate circuit judge and circuit judge in St. Charles County.

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. The court regularly hears cases in St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau, and other locations in the Eastern District, which includes 25 counties and the city of St. Louis.

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Contact: Morgan A. Coleman, clerk of the court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300