It’s been a long winter. And then we all lost power from the big storm. But not to worry – there’s nothing to recharge those batteries like watching legal advocacy! Today, you can witness jury selection in the federal courthouse in a federal civil rights trial and watch oral argument at the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Too bad you can’t be in two places at once!
The federal jury selection, also known as “voir dire” (RICourtBlog explains voir dire here), will occur in Shelton v. Wozny, civil action number 14-cv-313, in Courtroom 1 on the third floor of the federal courthouse (read more about the unique history of Courtroom 1 here), which is located on Kennedy Plaza at One Exchange Terrace (you can see directions here). It starts at 9:30 a.m. today (Tuesday, March 6) and will likely take most of the morning. According to the public docket, Shelton v. Wozny is a federal civil rights case under 42 U.S.C. 1983 involving allegations against police officers and a municipality for excessive force and failure to train and supervise. District Judge McConnell will preside over the jury selection and trial. Will he allow the attorney’s to address the potential jurors directly? How much latitude will he allow in the process of selecting jurors? You need to be there to find out. And you might as well – there were only 5 civil jury trials in federal court last year.
If jury selection isn’t your thing, and/or if you prefer the more rarefied air that comes with being at a higher elevation, head over to the Rhode Island Supreme Court on the Seventh Floor of the Licht Judicial Complex, located at 250 Benefit Street (directions here). When you get off the elevator on the Seventh Floor, take a louie (that’s legal terminology for a left turn), and then another louie, and you’ll see the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s courtroom. It’s one of the most beautiful and august courtrooms out there.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court will hear cases today (March 6) starting at 9:30 a.m. The hearing will likely go about two hours, with six appeals on the docket. The Rhode Island Supreme Court will be hearing two types of cases – the “full argument” calendar and the “show-cause” calendar. This refers generally to the complexity of the case, and is grounded in Rule 12A of the Supreme Court’s rules. After filing an appeal, appellants submit a so-called Rule 12A statement, and the appellee files a counter-statement. The parties then appear before a single justice of the Court at a conference, after which the Court assigns the case to the “show cause” calendar or the “full argument” calendar. Parties on the “show cause” calendar have the option to submit an additional 10 pages of briefing after the single justice conference. Cases on the “full argument” calendar proceed to full briefing under Rule 16 — which allows 50 pages to both sides, plus a 25 page reply brief. Under Rule 24 of the Supreme Court’s rules, “show cause” cases get 10 minutes of oral argument per side, plus 2 minutes for rebuttal. “Full argument” cases get 30 minutes per side, plus 10 minutes for rebuttal.
If you miss today, the Rhode Island Supreme Court is also hearing cases tomorrow, March 7, and Thursday, March 8, at 9:30 a.m. You can see the full oral argument schedule here. And with jury selection likely completed, a federal civil rights jury trial in Shelton v. Wozny isn’t far behind. It’s law nerd legal nirvana!