ELKVIEW – The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals took its show on the road Wednesday.
The Justices heard cases March 13 at Herbert Hoover High School as part of the court’s LAWS (Legal Advancement of West Virginia Students) program. About 200 students from Hoover, Capital and Sissonville High Schools in Kanawha County as well as Roane County High School listened to oral arguments in four cases as well as talked to justices and attorneys involved in the cases.
“We really have, as a court, tried to reach out to the people of our state and educate our students about how our court system works, Chief Justice Tim Armstead told The West Virginia Record. “These are real cases, not mock cases. And the students are briefed about them beforehand and, after, the lawyers talk to them.
Armstead
| File photo
“It gives the students a firsthand look at the court, helping them understand how it works. And the justices always are excited to get out of the Capitol and talk to students about the court system.”
Armstead said he always enjoy seeing the students get interested in the cases and the court system.
“The clerk picks good cases to be argued for these programs, and the lawyers are always good to come in here, argue the cases and talk to the students about the cases afterward,” he said. “The students always have good questions, and they’re always excited when we’re hearing the cases. You can see how interested they are in the process.”
More than 7,000 students in 37 counties have been part of the LAWS program since it began in 1999.
“It helps us more in school and gives us more one-on-one experience because not everyone has an opportunity to experience something like this,” Hoover student Chloe Sovine said. “It opens up possibilities for the future.
“It gives us more insight to what’s happening in our community. These cases are happening every day, and we don’t know about it or think about it.”
Fellow Hoover student Meredith Frame agreed.
“It’s a really unique experience,” she said. “It might help open some students’ eyes to possibilities of what they want to do in the future.”
Kiersten Davis, another Hoover student, said it was timely and eye-opening for her.
“We’re learning about the judicial branch in political science class right now,” she said. “This puts it into perspective about what they’re actually doing.
“I didn’t expect to them to be … they’re like right there. I didn’t know this could happen in our high school. I thought you had to go to a courthouse to see this. But the fact that they’re coming to us, it’s a front-row view of what’s happening.”
Elyse Ketchum, a Sissonville High student, said she learned a lot.
“It gives you an insight to what court hearings look like, what goes on, what questions can be asked, things like that,” she said.
Another Sissonville student said she already wanted to become a Supreme Court justice in the future, so she was excited to watch the arguments.
“I want to go to law school, and this is what I want to do as a career,” she said. “I was excited to see how the process works. The attorneys go back and forth but remain civil.”