The Mississippi Court of Appeals will host its Court on the Road Program on Alcorn State University’s Lorman Campus on Tuesday, April 1, at 10:30 a.m. Attendees must be seated by 9:45 a.m. The event will be held in the Dr. Clinton Bristow Jr. Dining Hall — Gold Room, located on the 2nd floor of the facility.
Students and the public are invited to this free event. Attendees must wear professional attire. No jeans or shorts.
A three-judge panel will hear a criminal appeal. 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.
“The Court on the Road program offers the opportunity for transparency and education,” said Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks of Lexington. “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.
Any media organization that 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 [email protected] fax 601-359-2407; and to Assistant Court Administrator Camille Evans, e-mail [email protected] 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.
Items Prohibited in the Court Room
Guns, Knives, and all other Weapons
Cameras, Recorders, Pagers, Newspapers and Magazines
Cellular Phones, Tobacco, Alcohol or Drugs, Food and Beverages
All Personnel and packages are subject to inspection by Alcorn State University Police or U.S. Marshals.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of University Compliance at [email protected].
