Administrative Office of Courts
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Court of Appeals to convene at Mississippi Valley State and Alcorn State March 18, 2024 The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on March 26 on the campuses of Mississippi Valley State University and on April 11 at Alcorn State University as part of the Court on the Road Program. A panel of three judges will hear a civil appeal on March 26 at Mississippi Valley State. Students and the public are invited to hear oral arguments scheduled for 1 p.m. in the W.A. Butts Social Science Building auditorium at 14000 U.S. 82 West in Itta Bena. A three-judge panel will hear a criminal appeal on April 11at 10:30 a.m. at Alcorn State, 1000 ASU Drive in Lorman. Students and the public are invited. The Court of Appeals’ Court on the Road program schedules oral arguments on college campuses and occasionally at other locations as a teaching tool to give students and the public opportunities to watch proceedings in cases on appeal. Court on the Road offers a unique learning experience for students with an interest in law, government, journalism and a variety of other fields. The public may attend to gain a better understanding of appellate court proceedings. Judges will answer questions from students after the oral arguments, but will not talk about the cases heard on appeal. Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks of Lexington, who coordinated arrangements for the upcoming campus visits, said, “The Court on the Road program offers the opportunity for transparency and education. It elevates the public’s understanding of Mississippi’s judicial system. It also encourages civic engagement and exposes the students to the Court in a way that is not adversarial. There are no witnesses and no jury.” Each proceeding is expected to last approximately an hour, with lawyers on each side having 30 minutes to present their arguments. Spectators should be seated in the courtroom 15 minutes before the proceeding. The case to be heard at Mississippi Valley State is the appeal of Rae Young Chung v. State of Mississippi, ex rel. Brandon Police Department, cause number 2023-CA-0362-COA. The case is an appeal of civil forfeiture of $225,000. Court records show that a Brandon Police Department officer stopped Chung on traffic violations as Chung drove a commercial tractor-trailer rig westbound on Interstate 20 on Sept. 23, 2020. Officers found and seized the cash, claiming that the large amount of currency fit the profile of funds used or intended for use in drug law violations. No drugs were found. Chung said first that the money was for vehicle repairs, then said it was his life savings, officers testified. A bench trial took place on Nov. 29, 2022, in Rankin County Circuit Court. Circuit Judge Dewey Arthur issued a forfeiture order on Feb. 23, 2023. Chung appealed. Court documents filed in the appeal are available on the Mississippi Judiciary website. Here is a link to the case docket: https://courts.ms.gov/index.php?cn=96326#dispArea. The appellant’s brief filed on behalf of Rae Young Chung is at this link: The appellee’s brief filed on behalf of the State of Mississippi and Brandon Police Department is at this link: The case to be heard at Alcorn State University is that of Wesley Littleton v. State of Mississippi, cause number 2023-KA-0239-COA. A trial court jury in Yazoo County Circuit Court convicted Littleton of first-degree murder in the Sept. 17, 2021, slaying of Willie Thomas. Littleton claimed self-defense, stating in court documents that he and his friend Thomas got into an argument in Littleton’s kitchen. After Littleton was convicted, Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis-Blackmon sentenced him to life without parole. Littleton appealed. Here is a link to the case docket: https://courts.ms.gov/index.php?cn=96196#dispArea. The appellant’s brief on behalf of Wesley Littleton is at this link: The appellee’s brief on behalf of the Attorney General is at this link: Any media organization which may wish to photograph or videotape the oral arguments, including student journalists, must file a Camera Coverage Notice. Camera Coverage Notices should be directed to Clerk of the Courts Jeremy Whitmire, e-mail jwhitmire@courts.ms.gov, fax 601-359-2407; and to Assistant Court Administrator Camille Evans, e-mail cevans@courts.ms.gov, fax 601-576-4708. The Camera Coverage Notice form is at this link: https://courts.ms.gov/news/forms/camnotice.pdf. Media photographers and videographers must be familiar with and follow the Rules for Electronic and Photographic Coverage of Judicial Proceedings. The camera coverage rules are available at https://courts.ms.gov/research/rules/msrulesofcourt/rules_electronicphotographic_coverage.pdf. The oral arguments will not be broadcast via the court’s Internet website, since the Court of Appeals is convening in special sessions away from its camera-equipped courtroom. #### |
