Fourth Circuit to Hear Appeals at WVU College of Law Oct. 4

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Traveling Roadshow is coming to a location near you. If you’re located in Richmond or West Virginia, that is.

If you’ve looked at the Fourth Circuit’s oral arguments schedule for the 2012-2013 term, you may have noticed a trend: Almost all of the hearings are at the circuit’s Richmond, Va. home.

The lone outlier? An October 4 hearing at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Is it a little early to begin planning for an October hearing? Absolutely not. Unlike the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals -- which rarely says no to a field trip -- the Fourth Circuit seldom takes its act on tour. Since this is the only scheduled date for the fall, we recommend popping by if you're in the neighborhood.

The Fourth Circuit will hear the following cases at WVU:

• Great American Insurance Co. v. Hinkle. Examining whether a subcontract incorporated by reference in performance bond compels surety to arbitrate.
• Benjamin Reynolds v. American National Red. An employment discrimination appeal raising the question of whether a plaintiff was disabled within meaning of ADA and whether a Red Cross chapter is an employer under agency theory of aggregation.
• US v. Ryan Holness. A criminal appeal about whether a defendant's cellmate acted as state agent in eliciting incriminating statements and whether conduct by state actors is imputed to subsequent federal prosecution.

Appellate briefs for the cases are available here.

Oral arguments will commence at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, October 4 in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom at the WVU College of Law. Directions to the law center are available here.

Related Resources:

• Browse Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Cases (FindLaw)
• FindLaw's Fourth Circuit Blog (FindLaw)
• Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (US Courts)