James R. LaytonJim Layton, leader of Tueth Keeney’s appellate practice group and former Missouri Solicitor General, was interviewed this week by reporters looking at the authority of Missouri Governor Mike Parson to appoint his successor as lieutenant governor. Jim taught state constitutional law at the University of Missouri Law School and was responsible for constitutional litigation at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. In these interviews, he helped explain how the Missouri constitution and statute interact to create a serious question about the governor’s authority. Jim points out that unless the governor’s authority to appoint Mike Kehoe as lieutenant governor is resolved, actions that depend on Kehoe’s vote in the Missouri Senate, the Board of Public Buildings, and the Board of Fund Commissioners are subject to challenge.
http://ksmu.org/post/missouri-democratic-party-sues-over-lieutenant-governor-appointment
http://ksmu.org/post/appoint-or-not-appoint-lt-governor-missouri-question-nearly-50-years
James Layton leads the firm’s Appellate practice group and is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Labor, and Education groups. He assists clients with analysis and presentation of complex legal issues in Missouri and federal courts, both trial and appellate. In addition to handling cases himself and with other attorneys at Tueth Keeney, Jim consults with clients on appellate strategy and assists other counsel in high-stakes, complex appeals.
Jim has briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and before all Missouri appellate courts””including more than 90 cases before the Missouri Supreme Court. He has represented clients in U.S. district courts and in Missouri circuit courts from Jackson County to the City of St. Louis. He has extensive experience with government-related litigation and state taxation disputes. Jim is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a past president of the Bar Association of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Council of Appellate Lawyers. He is a frequent speaker in the areas of appellate practice and constitutional law, both state and federal.
Appellate Practice – Tueth Keeney lawyers have briefed and argued hundreds of appeals, including appeals in all Missouri and Illinois state and federal appellate courts and in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Appellate Practice Group represents clients on a wide range of issues impacting businesses, individuals, government entities, and educational institutions. Tueth Keeney attorneys are also available to contribute their considerable experience (including more than 90 arguments before the Missouri Supreme Court) to appeals handled by others””strategizing, assisting with briefs, and preparing for oral argument.