The Eastern Section of the state Court of Appeals is going back to high school. But this time the court will be doing the teaching for 150 Knox County students.
On April 15, for the first time, the court will hear oral argument in four actual cases on a high school campus. The half-day session at Knoxville Catholic High School on Fox Lonas Road is part of the court’s new CASE Project. CASE is an acronym for Court of Appeals Affecting Student Education.
“CASE is the court’s effort to reach out to students who have an interest in government and law,” said Houston M. Goddard of Maryville, presiding judge of the 12-member intermediate appellate court. “The court believes students can benefit from this real-life experience.”
Judge Goddard will preside over the Court of Appeals panel hearing the cases. He will be joined by Judges Charles D. Susano, Jr., and D. Michael Swiney, both of Knoxville. The Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals from trial courts in civil, or non-criminal, cases.
Students from Knoxville Catholic High School, Webb School of Knoxville and Christian Academy of Knoxville will attend the court’s half-day session. Each school selected 50 students to participate.
Judge Goddard said the court selected cases it thought would be of interest to the students. They will hear oral argument in a lawsuit by a teacher against a school board; a personal injury case against a fast-food restaurant; a breach of contract case; and a lawsuit by a stepfather attempting to terminate the parental rights of a biological father.
As part of the CASE Project, law clerks who work for the appellate judges will go to the schools the week before oral argument to brief the students about the appellate process and the cases they will be hearing. The week after court, the law clerks will return to the schools to debrief the students and answer questions. When the cases are decided by the court, in four to six weeks, copies of the written opinions will be furnished to the students.
Immediately following the court session, a buffet lunch, sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association and Crown Cleaners of Knoxville, will be served for participating students.
A second CASE Project will be conducted in the fall at Fulton High School in Knoxville, with other Knox County public schools also participating.