COURT OF APPEALS HOLDS SESSIONS AT SEMO

Missouri's Court of Appeals for the Eastern District made history this past week when judges held court for the first time at Southeast Missouri State University. It was the first time in the court's 124-year history that judges have met at an undergraduate institution.

Eight appellate court judges handled court matters. Judges rotated, with each of 14 cases being heard by a three-judge panel. Fourteen judges sit on the appellate court, of whom four are women. All are appointed by the governor to 12-year terms and continue to serve subsequent terms if retained by voters in elections in which they face no opponent. This is the Missouri nonpartisan court plan adopted by voters in 1940.

All sessions, which were held in Dempster Hall's auditorium, were open to the public. Among attendees were more than 100 students in Southeast Missouri State's political science and criminal-justice classes. Following the second morning session, four judges removed their black robes and took questions from the students.

The judges also plan to hear oral arguments this year at Washington University Law School and at a Hannibal high school. For years the court has heard cases twice a year in Cape Girardeau at the Common Pleas Courthouse.

Southeast political science department chairman Dr. Peter Bergerson welcomed the chance for his students to see the court in action. Bergerson would like to invite high school students next year to audit court sessions.

We applaud the judges of the court of appeals for bringing their hearings to a university campus, for submitting to questions and for their other outreach efforts. Efforts such as these can only help in efforts to give more knowledge of, and thus more confidence in, their court system.n Bipartisan tributes honor Gerald and Betty FordDeemed healers of America's bodies and souls, former President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal last month. This is the highest civilian award given by Congress.

The tributes were bipartisan. House minority leader Dick Gephardt, D-St. Louis, offered a gracious one. "It is fitting that these partners in life are being honored jointly, for their partnership has enriched our democracy and our time," said Gephardt.

It was just over 25 years ago Aug. 9, 1974 that Ford was thrust into the presidency when President Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal.