Missouri Appellate Court marks sesquicentennial anniversary

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District is celebrating 150 years of providing access to justice to citizens of the state.

Its sesquicentennial anniversary was Jan. 3, according to a news release from the court. The St. Louis Court of Appeals was established by the Constitution of 1875, at a time when the Supreme Court of Missouri’s case load was congested with appeals from the St. Louis region.

“When the court officially opened for business on January 3, 1876, it was composed of three judges and located at the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis,” according to the release. “The court’s territorial jurisdiction was very limited, comprised only of the counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren.”

Changes to the constitution made in 1972 and 1979 created the court system Missourians know today with its three districts: the Eastern District based out of St. Louis, the Western District based out of Kansas City and the Southern District based out of Springfield. Each district operates separately under the superintending control of the Supreme Court of Missouri. The Court of Appeals, Eastern District, remains the state’s largest appellate court and serves 25 counties and the city of St. Louis.

As part of its anniversary celebration, the court will hold an art contest, will sit en banc later this month to hear an appeal, and in April, the court will host a ceremony with distinguished speakers. In May, the court will hear a special docket at the Old Courthouse.