By Nicole Lyons,
October 15, 2025

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, will convene court at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, in the Elliott Student Union Ballroom at the University of Central Missouri (UCM).
A three-judge panel consisting of Judge Edward R. Ardini Jr., Judge Alok Ahuja and
Judge Cynthia Martin will hear oral arguments in three cases. After the oral arguments,
the judges will take time to discuss the court system and take general questions from
the audience.
Click here to view summaries of the scheduled cases.
Ardini will preside over the proceedings in Warrensburg. He was appointed to the Western
District in 2016. Prior to his appointment, he served as counsel to the Missouri Attorney
General and then as counsel to the Governor. Ahuja has served in the Western District
since 2008. Previously, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., and Kansas City. Martin
was appointed to the Western District in 2009. Before joining the court, she practiced
law in Kansas City and Lee’s Summit.
The court regularly convenes in Kansas City. For more than 25 years, however, the
court has held dockets in several of the 45 counties in its jurisdiction, which includes
all of northwest Missouri and most of central Missouri. The court hears oral arguments
outside of Kansas City to give individuals an opportunity to observe a part of the
judicial system they normally do not see and to familiarize those attending with the
court’s role in the judicial system.
For more information, contact Kimberly K. Boeding, court clerk for the Missouri Court
of Appeals, Western District, at 816-889-3600.