JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- 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.
EARLIER COVERAGE
The Missouri Supreme Court announced this morning that Judge Richard Teitelman, who began his service on the state's high court in March 2002 and served as its chief justice from July 2011 through June 2013, passed away.
He was 69.
In honor of Judge Teitelman, the Court has cancelled oral arguments scheduled for today. Arrangements are pending.
Teitelman , the state's first legally blind judge, was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in February 2002 by Gov. Bob Holden. Teitelman replaced Judge John C. Holstein, who resigned.
Teitelman also was a nominee lfor a Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ann K. Covington in 2001. But Holden picked Judge Laura Denvir Stith.
Teitelman was chief justice from July 2011 through June 2013.
Teitelman was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in 1997 by Gov. Mel Carnahan. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from Washington University.
Under Missouri's nonpartisan court plan, a special panel will screen applicants for Teitelman's replacement and nominate three candidates to the governor, who then will make an appointment.