Administrative Office of Courts
Court of Appeals to hear cases on college campuses The Mississippi Court of Appeals has announced its fall schedule of college campus visits to hear oral arguments. The court will convene special sessions at Mississippi Valley State University Sept. 16, at the University of Southern Mississippi Sept. 30, and at Mississippi State University Nov. 18. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals will convene at 1 p.m. Sept. 16 in the MVSU Science and Technology Building Auditorium. It will be the first time for the court to hear cases on the Itta Bena campus. The court will visit the campus at the invitation of the MVSU Criminal Justice Department. The Court of Appeals periodically schedules oral arguments on college campuses and occasionally at other locations as a teaching tool for students. It is known as the Court on the Road program. Court of Appeals judges answer questions from students after the oral arguments, but do not talk about the cases which are argued. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Leslie D. King of Greenville said the program helps educate students and the public about how the judicial system operates. For students interested in careers in law, it gives them an opportunity to observe the court at work. In discussions with students at earlier programs, Chief Judge King said, “Some of the questions seem to suggest they believe what they see on TV – Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, Judge Joe Brown – is representative of the judicial system. And you tell them, ‘That’s entertainment. That’s not law.’ These are actual cases, not theoretical things....These are people who are going to be impacted by what’s done....The questions we ask of the lawyers are real questions that assist us in working toward a resolution of a case.” Giving students an opportunity to watch cases being argued helps them understand how the process works. People who understand how the process works will respect the judicial system, even if they don’t like the outcome of a particular case, Chief Judge King said. “People may not agree with the decision, but they need to feel comfortable that the court reached a resolution through the right method.” Cases to be heard Sept. 16 are:
The Sept. 30 oral arguments at the University of Southern Mississippi will be conducted in Room 218 at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. Cases to be heard Sept. 30 are:
Cases for the Nov. 18 sitting at Mississippi State University will be announced later. Attorneys are allowed 30 minutes each to make their arguments. The oral arguments will not be broadcast via the court’s Internet web site, since the Court of Appeals is convening in special sessions away from its camera-equipped courtroom. Any media organization which may wish to photograph or videotape the presentation must follow the Rules for Electronic and Photographic Coverage of Judicial Proceedings. Media must file a Camera Coverage Notice with Supreme Court Clerk Kathy Gillis and Assistant Court Administrator Amy R. Smith at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of the proceeding. The camera coverage notice is available at: https://courts.ms.gov/news/forms/camnotice.pdf. The camera coverage rules are available on the Mississippi Supreme Court’s web site at: https://courts.ms.gov/rules/msrulesofcourt/rules_electronicphotographic_coverage.pdf. #### |