Calendar of Events

Barefoot Student Union Building, Harvey Auditorium

On Wednesday, October 26, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Middle Section, will hold court at Union in Harvey Auditorium. Three cases are set for oral appellate argument on the 26th.

The first case is at 9:30. The second at 10:30. The third case at 11:30. Lunch Break will be from approximately 12:15 to 1:30. The court consists of three judges and hears a variety of civil (non-criminal) matters. The lawyers have a limited time to make their points. The judges will ask the lawyers questions and challenge them on the issues. At the end of each case the judges will file out and the lawyers will address any questions from the audience. The judges cannot of course comment on undecided matters.

Court rules will be followed so there can be no entering or exiting during each case. No food, drink, talking, or electronic devices. The appellate clerk will begin and end each session.

The lunch break is designed to allow anyone from the audience who wants to have lunch with the judges and ask questions about the law, law school, law practice, etc,. Students and others will obtain their lunches as usual and meet the judges in Coburn for an informal Q and A from 12:15 – 1:30.

The judges want the campus community to see how the system works firsthand. This will be Union's first opportunity to host the civil side of the Court. We hosted the Court of Criminal Appeals last February.

This session will be real time court arguments. The cases are real. The attorneys are privately hired by the parties to represent them in the litigation. The arguments we hear will determine the decisions of the judges on another day.