FORKS — The state Supreme Court will travel to Forks to visit schoolrooms Sept. 9 and hear oral arguments in appeals of three criminal cases, and answer questions from residents Sept. 10.
The trip from the court’s seat in Olympia will be a homecoming for Justice Susan Owens, who served 19 years as a Clallam County District Court judge and who spent five years as the Quileute tribe’s chief judge and six as chief judge for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
Although an itinerary for their appearance isn’t yet set, the justices probably will visit classrooms Wednesday, Sept. 9, and hear oral arguments in the cases Thursday, Sept. 10, in the Great Room of the Rainforest Art Center, 35 N. Forks Ave.
Court’s schedule
Their second-day schedule Sept. 10:
■ 9 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. — Welcoming comments and oral arguments in State of Washington vs. Tammera M. Thurlby.
■ 9:55 a.m. to 10:35 a.m. — Oral arguments in State of Washington vs. Troy J. Wilcoxon.
■ 10:35 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Question-and-answer session with members of the audience.
■ 11 a.m. to noon — Justices’ conference.
■ Noon to 1 p.m. — Lunch.
■ 1:30 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. — Oral arguments in State of Washington vs. Spencer L. Miller/Darryl Henderson.
In the first case, Thurlby argues she was improperly convicted of three counts of delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop because the Cowlitz County Superior Court judge resumed a second day of proceedings in her absence at her 2012 trial.
In State vs. Wilcoxon, the defendant alleges his conviction for second-degree burglary, first-degree theft and conspiracy to commit burglary should be overturned because Asotin County Superior Court did not sever his trial from a codefendant’s and because it permitted inexpert testimony involving cellphone traffic.
The case stems from the 2013 burglary of a casino-bowling alley in Clarkston.
In the Miller/Henderson case, the state seeks reinstatement of a mitigated sentence handed down on two counts of attempted first-degree murder in a 2001 shooting in Pierce County.
The state Supreme Court for 20 years has gone “on the road” to allow citizens to watch it in session in their local communities, said Wendy K. Ferrell, judicial communications manager for Washington courts.
“It’s a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about the judicial branch of government to see the workings of the highest court up close and personal.”
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
