Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, to Hear Oral Argument at Sheldon High School

September 25, 2014

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Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, to Hear Oral Argument at Sheldon High School

Sacramento—Administrative Presiding Justice Vance W. Raye announced that as part of its award-winning community outreach program, the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, will hear oral argument at Sheldon High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2014.

Since 2000, the Third Appellate District has held oral argument sessions in 23 high schools in 20 counties, and this will be the first time that a Court of Appeal session will be held in the southern part of Sacramento County.

Elk Grove Unified officials have arranged for students from all 14 of its high schools to attend—a total of over 1,000 students. The sessions will be heard in the Sheldon High School Performing Arts Center, 8333 Kingsbridge Drive, Sacramento. All interested members of the public, attorneys, and judges are welcome to attend. Those who attend will be required to go through  security screening, so an early arrival is advisable. The following four cases will be heard:

Morning Session 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

• 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.: The People v. Garcia (C074279). Appeal is taken from an order denying a petition to reduce a previously imposed “three strikes” sentence pursuant to the 2012 Three Strikes Reform Act.
• 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.: Vanni v. Department of Water Resources (C072383). Appeal is taken from a judgment finding that the Department of Water Resources was not responsible for damages to lands caused by flooding due to the failure of a levee.
• 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Discussion/question and answer session with students.

Afternoon Session 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• 1:00 - 1:30 p.m.: Perreira v. Ocegueda (C073176). Appeal is taken from an order finding that California is the “home state” authorized to invoke jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.
• 1:30 - 2:00 p.m.: Citizens for Fair REU Rates v. City of Redding (C071906). Appeal is taken from a judgment finding that an assessment transferred from a municipal utility to the City’s general fund was not an unlawful “tax.”
• 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.: Discussion/question and answer session with students.

As part of this educational experience, justices of the Third Appellate District will discuss their career paths with the students and conduct a question and answer period immediately following each session of oral argument. The justices are not permitted to answer questions about the cases.

Twenty-five local attorneys have volunteered their time to visit classrooms at each of the Elk Grove Unified School District high schools before and after the day of the oral arguments. They will make presentations about the California court system and the appellate process, and discuss the cases the students will see during the oral arguments at Sheldon High School.

The Court of Appeal ordinarily holds oral argument in its courtroom at 914 Capitol Mall, Sacramento. The Third Appellate District comprises 23 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.