EVENT CANCELLED: Wallace State to host courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals

NOTE: This event has been cancelled due to the threat of inclement weather on March 5. The Appellate Court and Wallace State will work to reschedule the event.
 
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — The Alabama Courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals will visit Wallace State Community College in March to hear cases, providing opportunities for students and the public to view the judicial process first hand.
The appellate courts will hear cases on Thursday, March 5, starting at 9:30 a.m., with the Court of Civil Appeals and at 11 a.m., with the Court of Criminal Appeals. The oral arguments will be heard in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre, located in the Student Center on the Hanceville campus.
“This is something we do every year at Samford University, and I thought it would be a great educational opportunity for the students here in Cullman County and surrounding areas,” said Judge Terri Willingham Thomas, who sits on the Court of Civil Appeals. Thomas is a Cullman native and formerly served as a district and juvenile court judge for Cullman County. She earned undergraduate degrees at Wallace State Community College and Athens State University; she earned a juris doctorate at Cumberland School of Law.
Seniors from area high schools will be invited to view the proceedings, as well as Wallace State students and the general public.
“I’m so pleased to have the appellate courts hold oral arguments on our campus,” said June Brooks, head of Wallace State’s paralegal program. “I think our students and high school students can only benefit from seeing the judicial process in action.”
Along with Thomas, members of the Civil Court of Appeals include Presiding Judge William C. Thompson, Craig Sorrell Pittman, Terry A. Moore and Scott Donaldson. The Court of Civil Appeals has original appellate jurisdiction in all civil appeals where the amount of controversy does not exceed $50,000. The Supreme Court may transfer to the Court of Civil Appeals civil cases appealed to the Supreme Court and within its appellate jurisdiction, with some exceptions.
The Court of Civil Appeals has jurisdiction of all appeals from administrative agencies, other than the Alabama Public Service Commission, in which a judgment was entered in the circuit court. The court also exercises jurisdiction over appeals in workers’ compensation cases and domestic relations cases, including annulment, divorce, alimony, child support, adoption, and child custody cases.
Members of the Criminal Court of Appeals include Presiding Judge Mary Becker Windom, Samuel Henry Welch, J. Elizabeth Kellum, Liles C. Burke and J. Michael Joiner. The Court of Criminal Appeals hears all appeals of felony and misdemeanor cases, including violations of city ordinances and all post-conviction writs in criminal cases.
For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000.