A three-judge panel from the Court of Appeals was led by Chickamauga native Gary Andrews along with his fellow judges Anne Elizabeth Barnes and Debra Bernes. The court is celebrating its centennial by temporarily leaving Atlanta and convening in other parts of the state.
Students from the Gordon Lee High School’s current issues, government and journalism classes sat in on that mock argument, which was followed by the real case of Walker County v. Tri-State Crematory et al.
The appellate court did not rule on the students’ arguments, but in February 2005 the court refused to dismiss the case in which Bollea claimed breach of contract. The three judges complimented the students on their poise and presentation.
“You young men are probably better than the lawyers who really argued the case based on my experience hearing other cases in the Court of Appeals,” Bernes said. “All of you were very good. I could not imagine having the poise and the presentation at your age.
“You have great potential for the law or possibly acting,” she said.
Barnes agreed with her colleague.
“The first time I tried a case I was in law school and my knees were shaking,” she said. “You have such great poise, and what’s even more, you demonstrated a knowledge of the case and a grasp of the legal issues.”
Josh Bloodworth argued on the side of World Championship wrestling with fellow senior Jackson Sprayberry.
“It was a lot of fun, but it was nerve-wracking to get up there,” Bloodworth said. “You sit there and think, ‘They’re really important people.’
After presenting his case, Bloodworth and his classmates stayed to watch attorneys argue the case of Walker County v. Tri-State Crematory et al.
“It was interesting to go from us doing our case and then listening to the real case and see it from that point of view,” he said. “It kind of made you feel even prouder that you were a part of getting to do that.”
Fellow seniors Caleb Bloodworth and Kory Flynn argued for Bollea.
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