The Colorado Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in two cases on Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at Monte Vista High School in Monte Vista before an audience of high school students. The public is also invited to attend.

The visit is part of the Colorado Judicial Branch's Courts in the Community - the Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals educational outreach program initiated on Law Day (May 1) in 1986. The Courts in the Community program was developed to give Colorado high school students first-hand experience in how the Colorado judicial system actually works and illustrate how disputes are resolved in a democratic society. These are not mock trials. They are actual oral arguments from which rulings will be determined. The Court generally issues its rulings within a few months of the arguments.

A three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals, Judge Jose D.L. Marquez, Judge Arthur P. Roy and Judge David Furman, will hear oral arguments in these two cases:
· 06CA808, James F. Blum v. The People of the State of Colorado
Mr. Blum seeks review of the district court order affirming his attempted fraud conviction and the failure of the district court to address his additional claims for relief. · 05CA94, The People of the State of Colorado v. Ifty Christopher Benavidez
Mr. Benavidez was convicted of first degree murder after deliberation on December 12, 2003 by jury trial, and sentenced to life in prison.

The proceedings will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10, in the Monte Vista High School gymnasium. A question and answer session, allowing the students to ask questions of each of the attorneys, will follow the presentation of each case. At the conclusion of the second argument, the students also will be given the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the Court of Appeals judges.

There will be a limited number of seats for the public, available on a first-come basis. Audio feeds from the two arguments will be available online within one to two days at http://www.courts.state.co.us/coa/coaoralsched.htm

The documents related to the two cases are located at: http://www.courts.state.co.us/exec/pubed/lessonplans/2007/lesspl2007-1.htm.

Additional information on the Courts in the Community program is available at: http://www.courts.state.co.us/exec/pubed/courtsinthecommunity.htm.