The South Carolina Court of Appeals hears cases in the Etherredge Center at University of South Carolina Aiken as part of the state's celebration of the university's bicentennial and the Aiken campus's 40th anniversary Thursday. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

The South Carolina Court of Appeals met at the Etherredge Center at the University of South Carolina Aiken on Thursday, hearing three cases before about 30 people.

The visit was a part of the state's celebration of the bicentennial of the Columbia campus and the 40th anniversary of USC Aiken.

The judges said they missed the comforts of home.

The kitchen timer, brought from home by the court's clerk, replaced the green, red and yellow bulbs that usually sit in front of the lawyers to tell them their time is up. On Thursday, the timer often startled the lawyers.

The three justices who presided over the court used the men's dressing room backstage in the center as makeshift chambers. The appeals court has nine justices, but only three are typically called on to oversee cases of lesser significance.

The day's first case files were not the right ones, and Justice C. Tolbert Goolsby Jr. interrupted the arguments to let the audience know disorder was expected.

''We are not perfect, especially when we get out of our normal habitat,'' he said.

Lawyers, too, were a little out of their element. The stage at the center had the lawyers' table facing away from the audience, about five feet from the edge of the stage.

''We did talk about that, about backing up too far,'' said Columbia lawyer Deborah Shupe before her arguments on behalf of an uninsured motorist.

Ms. Shupe also noticed the crowd that gathered, saying it was rather large for appeals court hearings.

''Usually its just us and the judges and the clerk,'' she said.

Reach Matthew Boedy at (803) 648-1395 or mboedy@augusta.com.