CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Supreme Court has repurposed an area of the court into a new Judicial Learning Center.
The Judicial Learning Center is on the third floor of the state Capitol's East Wing, directly across from the Supreme Court's courtroom. It was officially opened December 7.
"We decided to repurpose an attorney conference room and an office to give people an opportunity to learn more about the West Virginia court system," Chief Justice Beth Walker said to The West Virginia Record. "This is part of our commitment to educating the public on what we do."
Walker said while education isn't new — as the justices and others frequently travel throughout the state and speak at schools and other events — the physical space for the learning opportunity is.
"The center was made so that you don't need a guide to visit it, but we hope to become a stop on Capitol tours," Walker said. "It's pretty self-explanatory and accessible."
Walker said the center was created for both children and adults to learn about the state's court system, from how a case moves through the courts to other parts of the system.
"It's a mix of both traditional displays, as well as digital education," Walker said. "Every part of the West Virginia court system was involved in making this happen. We all worked closely together on the center."
Walker said the displays in the center show things like walking through the process of how a case is appealed to accessing information about the court system.
"There have been a number of these learning centers around the country in state Supreme Court facilities," Walker said. "All five of us have committed for a long time to educate the public and talk about what we do, like if there are students here, we will go talk to them."
Walker said it took about a year to develop and create the center. She said the total cost of the center from development to design has been $732,000 in state funds and about $20,000 came from grants.
"We want to continue to be transparent and provide education about our court system to all," Walker said.
Walker said she was looking forward to children and adults both visiting the center.
"This has been a very collaborative effort involving every part of the court system — from our administrative office to the library, to the clerk's office, to the lawyers who work with the court, as well as judges and educators across the state," Walker said. "We are so proud of this and can't wait for everyone to come check it out."
The exhibit also includes artwork by local artists that were provided through a grant from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. In June, the court began working with Charleston Creative Connections to commission two pieces of art for the center.
In 2022, the West Virginia Bar Foundation approved a $5,000 grant to the court system for the development of the center.
The center held its grand opening ceremony December 7 to showcase the exhibition space.
