The Fayette County Board of Education and the Fayette County Bar Association were scheduled to host a rare special session of the Georgia Court of Appeals on Oct. 4 at Whitewater High School.

The special session comes after Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Anne E. Barnes accepted the joint invitation from Christopher C. Edwards, Chief Judge of the Griffin Judicial Circuit and Jason B. Thompson, State Court Judge of Fayette County.

In hosting the special session, Fayette County will be welcoming one of its own when Judge Carla W. McMillian, a Tyrone resident, will join Presiding Judge Barnes and Judge Amanda Mercier, said Thompson.

Thompson said the court will hear two criminal cases and one civil case in the auditorium at Whitewater High School.

“As part of the learning experience, teachers at the local high schools were giving the opportunity to have students present for the oral argument,” Thompson said. “Through the efforts of the Fayette County Bar Association, lawyers will visit the classroom ahead of time and teach the students the appeals process while going over the case briefs.”

High school journalism students will have a press conference with the visiting judges at the end of the session.

“This is a unique learning experience for our students in Fayette County. I am excited about the opportunity that we are providing our students and am grateful to the collaboration between the Fayette County Board of Education, Fayette County Bar Association, and the Georgia Court of Appeals,” said Thompson.

The special session will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the press conference immediately following.