Justice Thomas McHugh spoke to members of the National Silver-Haired Congress and the National Council of Silver-Haired Legislators who were meeting at a South Charleston hotel on August 7.

Members of the two groups came from across the country for the annual summer meeting, which was held in Charleston this year. They also met with state lawmakers who sponsored legislation regarding senior issues. Both the groups are non-partisan and serve as advocates for federal-level issues and concerns relating to senior citizens through education and awareness.

Justice McHugh showed the Court's new DVD, The Foundation of Justice: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia after his remarks, and answered questions. The following is the text of his prepared speech.

"I would like to welcome those of you from other states to West Virginia. I know the shared interest that brought you together here is an interest in the Legislative Branch of government and in passing laws to improve the lives of senior citizens. While the Judicial Branch is not the focus of your gathering in Charleston, the laws that start out in the Legislative Branch sometimes end up there. I'd like to spend my time tonight talking to you about the judicial system, which doesn't get as much attention as it should.

"The United States Supreme Court has been in the news lately because of the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor and her confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The judicial system rarely gets so much attention, aside from the occasional news story about an appeals court decision or a criminal case the media finds fascinating.

"Unlike the governor or president, who can propose new laws and have dozens of agencies to carry them out, and the Legislature and Congress, which enact laws and control the budget, courts can't take any action on our own. We have to wait for someone to bring issues to us. We don't chose our agenda, it chooses us. And more often than not, our dockets are full of cases that are mind-numbingly boring to the public.

"As a result, the judicial branch is the least understood branch of government. But the rule of law, which is the foundation of our democratic form of government, is vitally important.

"The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, like other state Supreme Courts, has undertaken to educate our population about the judicial system.

"For example, Justice Robin Jean Davis created the Robes to Schools program in 2006, when she was chief justice. Since then, dozens of magistrates, family court judges, circuit court judges, and Supreme Court Justices have visited schools across West Virginia to read to thousands of students and talk to them about the justice system.

"Justice Davis also created the Supreme Court's first real outreach program for school children, the LAWS program. LAWS, which stands for Legal Advancement for West Virginia Children, will mark its twelfth year next year. LAWS allows high school and college students from one county or court circuit to study the cases on a Supreme Court argument docket and then attend that argument docket at their local courthouse. About three thousand high school and college students in twenty of our state's fifty-five counties have participated.

"To serve middle school students, last year the court created a mock trial program, which this fall will enter the third phase of a pilot project. The students and teachers who have participated in the program, called West Virginia Law Adventure, have loved it.

"Early this year, we also began sending to high school civics classes a graphic novel produced by the National Center for State Courts. The graphic novel series is called Justice Case Files. It addresses legal issues relevant to teenagers and comes with a corresponding lesson plan for teachers.

"This evening I'm going to show you our latest public education effort. This is its public debut. I will be appearing before the West Virginia Board of Education next week to talk to them about it. If they give their permission, we will be sending copies to schools throughout the state of West Virginia. We also plan to show it to the public at the West Virginia Cultural Center at the Capitol on September 2, and it will air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting the following evening.

"It runs 27 minutes and covers the history of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court Chamber that architect Cass Gilbert designed in the West Virginia Capitol, and the role of the judicial branch in West Virginia government. I hope you enjoy it."

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