Georgia Court of Appeals to hold special session in Albany at ASU

The Court of Appeals of Georgia will hold an oral argument at Albany State University (ASU) on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. in the Billy C. Black Building Auditorium (East). The off-site session is aligned with the Court’s commitment to increase confidence in the judiciary system by making its judges more accessible to the public.

 “The oral argument session provides an opportunity for ASU students and the Albany community to see the law in action and ask questions,” said ASU President Marion Fedrick. “This will surely be a semester highlight for our students. We are thankful to the Court of Appeals of Georgia for providing the opportunity.”

Presiding Judge Sara L. Doyle, Chief Judge Christopher J. McFadden, and Judge Ken Hodges will hear arguments at Albany State in three appeals involving issues arising from a dispute involving a “nonprofit healthcare sharing ministry,” a wrongful death suit against a hospital, and a law enforcement officer’s attempt to intervene in a criminal case. The judges will hold a question-and-answer session for the students following the arguments.

“The Third Division of the Court of Appeals is looking forward to holding oral arguments at Albany State University, and giving the students and citizens who live in the area an opportunity to see our judges work without traveling to Atlanta," said Presiding Judge Doyle. "We are grateful to Albany State’s President Marion Fedrick and her outstanding administration and staff for being such gracious hosts, along with Dougherty Circuit Bar Association President Chris Flowers.”

The Court of Appeals is Georgia’s intermediate appellate court, with fifteen judges who serve in panels of three. Oral arguments are not heard in all cases. The parties must ask to be heard, and the Court grants only about a third of the requests.