ITTA BENA, Miss.—The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University on April 9 at 1 p.m. to hear oral arguments.
The proceedings will be held in the auditorium in the W. A. Butts Social Science Building. The address of the university is 14000 Highway 82 West, Itta Bena, Mississippi.
The Court of Appeals schedules proceedings on college campuses a few times each year in its Court on the Road program. It will be the court’s fourth visit to MVSU in recent years.
Court of Appeals Judge Latrice A. Westbrooks said, “The public has an opportunity to see how the appellate court works and how it is different from trial courts.” There are no witnesses and no jury in an appellate proceeding. “It will transform and elevate their understanding of Mississippi’s judicial system,” she said.
Judges will talk with students after the oral arguments and answer their questions, although they won’t talk about the pending case. Having an opportunity to see the court at work provides a valuable learning experience for students who may have an interest in careers in law as well as those who simply want to better understand how each branch of government works.
The case to be heard is the appeal of Rickie Green v. State of Mississippi, cause number 2017-KA-01758-COA. Court records show that Green was convicted by a Tunica County Circuit Court jury on Nov. 3, 2017, on a charge of fondling by an authority figure. Green, a school bus driver, was convicted of fondling a 10-year-old female student. Circuit Judge Linda F. Coleman sentenced Green to five years in prison with three years suspended.
The appellant brief on behalf of Green is at this link: https://courts.ms.gov/appellatecourts/docket/sendPDF.php?f=dc00001_live.COA.17.KA.1758.116358.0.pdf&c=87573&a=N&s=2.
The appellee’s brief on behalf of the State of Mississippi is at this link: https://courts.ms.gov/appellatecourts/docket/sendPDF.php?f=web0001.COA.2017-KA-1758.4764.0.pdf&c=87573&a=N&s=2
Attorney Philip C. Hearn of Jackson represents Green. Special Assistant Attorney General Billy Gore represents the state.
People wishing to watch the oral arguments are asked to be in their seats 15 minutes before the proceeding is scheduled to begin.
The oral arguments will not be broadcast via the court’s Internet website, since the Court of Appeals is convening a special session away from its camera-equipped courtroom.
Any media organization which 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, fax 601-359-2407, and to Assistant Court Administrator Camille Evans, fax 601- 576-4708.
The Camera Coverage Notice form is at https://courts.ms.gov/news/forms/camnotice.pdf
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
http://courts.ms.gov/rules/msrulesofcourt/rules_electronicphotographic_coverage.pdf