VINCENNES, Ind. - The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the case Zachary J. Taylor v. State of Indiana on Feb. 21, 1 p.m. (EST), at Vincennes University’s Red Skelton Performing Arts Center. The event is open to the public.

The annual event is hosted by VU’s Legal Studies program and gives students the unique opportunity to observe oral argument proceedings and then engage with the participants to discuss the Indiana Court System.

A three-member panel of judges will hear the following case out of Spencer County: Zachary J. Taylor appeals his convictions for Level 5 possession of methamphetamine and Level 6 possession of marijuana. Taylor argues officers violated his Fourth Amendment and Article 1, Section 11 rights because the information they received and relied upon to obtain the search warrant - Officer Shourds' observation of Taylor and Stokes through the gap in the window - constituted an illegal search and thus any evidence collected thereafter was fruit of the poisonous tree. The State argues Officer Shourds' actions were not a search, and instead the information he obtained from looking through the gap in the window was in "open view."

The scheduled panel members are Judge John G. Baker, Judge L. Mark Bailey, and Judge Melissa S. May.

ABOUT THE INDIANA COURT OF APPEALS

Since its centennial in 2001, the Court has heard oral argument in venues across the state to enable Hoosiers to learn about the judicial branch. Sites typically include law schools, colleges, high schools, and county courthouses.

The Indiana Court of Appeals is the state's second-highest court and it reviews appeals from trial court decisions. A decision of the Indiana Court of Appeals is final unless reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court on grant of further review. The majority of appeals filed in Indiana are decided by the Court of Appeals.

The 15-member Court of Appeals issues some 2,000 written opinions each year. The Court hears cases only in three-judge panels. All panels have statewide jurisdiction and rotate three times per year. Cases are randomly assigned.

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