Island Pacific Academy freshmen recently held a moot court in the secondary school library and then got to see Hawaii’s highest court in action. Their history teacher, Steve Cleveland, incorporated both the student-led “court” session and the field trip to observe a real case being presented to the Hawaii State Supreme Court as ways to bring their lessons about the American judicial system to life.
“Taylor Swift v Dr. Dre. That was the case the students argued,” says Cleveland. “The Taylor/Dre case was imaginary but the students used real case law when presenting their arguments.”
In December the Hawaii State Supreme Court convened in the Waianae High School gymnasium as part of the Courts in the Community program that takes the Judicial Branch of government on the road. (photo courtesy Hawaii State Judiciary: http://www.courts.state.hi.us/images/attachments/CourtsinCommunity_WaianaeHS_wideshot.jpg)
Then the grade nine class attended a “Courts in the Community” session where they were among over 300 high school students who got to observe as the five justices of the Hawaii State Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a real case.
Courts in the Community is an outreach program that lets students learn more about the Judiciary’s role in government and its function in resolving disputes in a democratic society. To accommodate the large audiences, the court sessions have been held in high school gymnasiums across the state. The session that IPA students attended was held at Waianae High School.
After the oral arguments were heard, IPA freshmen were able to ask the justices questions at the “Community in the Courts” event. Hawaii’s State Supreme Court members in the front row: Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack; Associate Justice Paula A. Nakayama; Mark E. Recktenwald, Chief Justice; Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna; and Associate Justice Michael D. Wilson.
“Our Courts in the Community program is about civics education and providing students with a chance to go beyond the textbooks and experience a Supreme Court oral argument in person. We welcome the opportunity to share what we do with students who are passionate about learning more about the legal process,” said Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. “I would like to extend a special mahalo to the teachers, dozens of volunteer attorneys, and the Hawaii State Bar Association. These invaluable partnerships are what make this program a success.” (from the Hawaii State Judiciary website: http://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/press_releases/2015/12/oral_argument_waianae.html)
