Texas 10th Court of Appeals to hear three cases at the Blinn-Bryan Campus

10th annual visit allows the public to witness the law in action, meet judges, and ask questions

November 2, 2023

The Blinn College District invites students and the public to witness precedent-setting cases when it hosts the Texas 10 ^th Court of Appeals on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

The court will sit in session beginning at 10 a.m. in the Bryan Campus Student Center, Room F-120 (map). Now in its 10 ^th year, the annual event is coordinated by the Blinn Paralegal and Legal Assistant Program and the Legal Assistant Student Organization.

The first case, Coryell County v. H&S Perryman Ranch, LLC, will be heard at 10.am. The case involves a jurisdiction and property dispute related to driveways that were constructed as part of a real estate development project. The second case, The State of Texas v. Saul Lee Suarez, involves a murder and aggravated robbery indictment with the defendant arguing to suppress the search of his bedroom without his permission as a violation of his Fourth-Amendment rights.

The court will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. to hear Corsicana Industrial Foundation, Gander Mountain Company, and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. City of Corsicana and Navarro County. This case relates to sales tax that was being used to repay a loan used to develop a retail center and whether payments should still continue once the shopping center’s anchor store, Gander Mountain, permanently closed..

Additional information on these cases is available at www.txcourts.gov/10thcoa.

Each case is expected to last 50 minutes. At noon, the judges will host a question-and-answer session. The public is welcome to attend any individual argument or the entire session.

“I’m excited to celebrate the court’s milestone of hearing oral arguments at Blinn for the 10 ^th year,” Chief Justice Tom Gray said. “This is always such a wonderful educational experience for Blinn students and a unique opportunity for us to engage with the public by taking the law out of the courtroom and to the community.”

No video, audio recordings, or photographs will be allowed in the courtroom while court is in session but the proceedings will be streamed on the Court’s YouTube channel. Individuals attending the session must wear appropriate attire, power off or silence electronic devices, and are not allowed to bring food or beverages.

The Texas 10 ^th Court of Appeals, consisting of Gray and Justices Matt Johnson and Steve Smith, is based in Waco and hears approximately 400 civil and criminal appeals a year from 18 counties in Central Texas, including Brazos County.

After arguments are heard, the justices will return to Waco, where they will research the legal issues and precedents, then issue a written opinion.

“This event is extremely beneficial to our students because a real, functioning courtroom becomes their classroom for the day,” Program Coordinator Robert Stanberry said. “Our students and the public immerse themselves in these cases and gain a unique perspective into the complexities of how the appellate court system works.”

For more information regarding Blinn’s Paralegal and Legal Assistant Program, visit www.blinn.edu/paralegal.