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Missouri Supreme Court Judge Richard Teitelman dies

Posted at 12:04 PM, Nov 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-29 16:31:58-05

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Richard B. Teitelman, an affable jurist who was believed to be the state's first legally blind appellate judge, has died. He was 69.

Supreme Court spokeswoman Beth Riggert announced Teitelman's death Tuesday, shortly before the court was to hear arguments on several cases, which were canceled. Riggert provided no details about his death, saying the court had just been made aware of it.

Teitelman had served on the court since March 2002 and was chief justice from July 2011 through June 2013. Before joining the Supreme Court, he served on the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District for four years and previously worked as an attorney helping poor people obtain legal services.

Former Gov. Bob Holden had described Teitelman as a "groundbreaking appointment" when he named him to the high court.

Teitelman said at the time that his appointment served as an example for others with disabilities, especially blind children, that nothing is impossible.

"When I talk to them, I can see the kids feel they have hope ... that someone in the same situation as they are can accomplish things," Teitelman said in 2002. "For at least a period of time, when I'm on the court, there will be another perspective."

Teitelman typically began court sessions by meandering through the courtroom, shaking hands with attorneys and briefly chatting with guests before rejoining the other six judges to formally enter the chamber for arguments. Yet Teitelman shied from the spotlight, declining traditional media interviews when his turn came to serve as chief justice.

Though Missouri appeals judges don't run as Democrats or Republicans, Teitelman typically aligned along more liberal lines and his appointment gave the court a majority of Democratic-appointed judges for the first time in 30 years.

Under Missouri's nonpartisan court plan, a special panel will screen applicants for Teitelman's replacement and recommend three nominees to the governor, who then makes an appointment. That appointment could fall to Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, a Republican, who is to take over for term-limited Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon on Jan. 9.

Unlike at the federal level, Missouri Supreme Court appointees are not subject to Senate confirmation. Instead they later face an up-or-down retention vote during a general election.

Teitelman received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Before joining the high court, Teitelman edited two books for The Missouri Bar -- the state's first handbook of consumer law and a guide for lawyers serving the handicapped, elderly and poor.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Gov. Jay Nixon released the following statement on the passing of Teitelman: 

“Missourians have lost a judicial leader who dedicated his life over more than four decades in service to the people of this state and to our legal system, both as a Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals and during a long career with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. Judge Teitelman will be remembered not only for his breaking new ground as the first legally blind judge to sit on Missouri’s highest court, but also for his legal skills and his passion for justice. He truly listened to, and never forgot, those who needed justice the most. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues.”

Nixon also order flags at Missouri courts to be lowered to half-staff to honor the life of Teitelman. Flags will remain at half-staff throught hte day of the funeral, which has not been set. On the day of the funeral, all state facilities will also lower flags.