Administrative Office of Courts
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Court of Appeals to visit Rust College on Nov. 2 October 18, 2023 The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of Rust College on Nov. 2. 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 other fields. The public may attend to gain a better understanding of appellate court proceedings. Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks of Lexington, who coordinated arrangements for the visit to Rust College, 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.” A three-judge panel will convene at 10 a.m. in the Doxey Auditorium, 150 Rust Avenue in Holly Springs. The panel will hear oral arguments in the appeal of Cameron Henderson a/k/a Cameron Adam Henderson v. State of Mississippi, Cause Number 2022-KA-00661-COA, a case from Clay County Circuit Court. Attorneys for both sides will have 30 minutes to make their arguments and answer questions from the judges. Judges will talk with students after the oral arguments and answer students’ questions, although they won’t talk about the pending case. People wishing to watch the oral argument are asked to be seated 15 minutes before a proceeding is scheduled to begin. Members of the news media, including student journalists, who may wish to photograph or videotape the arguments must file a Camera Coverage Notice. Camera Coverage Notices should be directed to Clerk of the Court 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 at https://courts.ms.gov/research/rules/msrulesofcourt/rules_electronicphotographic_coverage.pdf. The oral arguments will not be broadcast via the Mississippi Judiciary website, since the Court of Appeals is convening in special sessions away from its camera-equipped courtroom. A Clay County Circuit Court jury found Henderson guilty of first-degree murder for the slaying of Dale O’Neal, his cell mate at the Clay County Jail. Trial testimony showed that O’Neal was strangled with a telephone cord inside the shared cell on March 15, 2019. Henderson appeals from a sentence of life without parole. Documents in the appeal may be viewed on the Mississippi Judiciary website, http://courts.ms.gov . The appellant’s brief filed on behalf of Henderson by the Indigent Appeals Division, Office of State Public Defender, is at this link: The appellee’s brief filed on behalf of the State by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is at this link: #### |
