Reaching Out    

      Reaching out to students and other members of the public is a very important part of what we do at the Supreme Court. I’d like to tell you about a successful Supreme Court educational project that might inspire you to reach out and educate students or others in your community about our legal system.

      Last month, the Court held its third annual Legal Advancement for West Virginia Students project, known as LAWS. LAWS is an innovative program to educate West Virginia students about the judicial branch of government by allowing them to actively observe the progression of an appellate case. As part of LAWS, high school students from a selected judicial circuit are invited to attend Supreme Court oral arguments in a case they have studied in their home community.

      A day off from school because of snow didn’t stop about 225 Cabell County high school students and students from Marshall University from attending oral arguments at the Cabell County Courthouse on March 6 as part of their participation in LAWS.

      We heard oral arguments in four cases. Students and their teachers were divided into four groups, with each group attending arguments in one case. After the arguments, the students met for a question and answer session with the attorneys whose argument they observed. The students and their teachers also joined us for a lunch at the Huntington Civic Center, sponsored by the community.

      An estimated 366 students were scheduled to attend the March 6 arguments. Snowbound students will be able to watch the arguments on videotape. Fortunately, LAWS is also much more than a one day event.

      Cabell County teachers whose classes were involved in LAWS attended a three-hour professional development session on January 30 at the Cabell County Courthouse. Teachers were provided with notebooks of materials to use in their classrooms, including suggested activities and LAWS handbooks for each student. Volunteer attorneys also visited the classrooms before the arguments to review the cases. After we rule in the cases, the students will receive copies of the opinions.

      Including this year’s session, we have educated over 1,100 students about the judicial branch of government through LAWS. We held the first LAWS in 1999 in Raleigh County and the second LAWS in 2000 in Harrison County. The Supreme Court is grateful to the Beckley, Clarksburg and Huntington communities for helping make our LAWS project such a success.

      LAWS is a partnership between the court system, the bar association, the schools and the community. All partners work toward one goal - educating students. Educating students about the judicial branch of government helps them become well-informed patriotic citizens. When a local daily newspaper asked Huntington High teacher Marsha Harvey why it was important for her students to learn about the court system through LAWS she replied, "This is life. It’s what our whole country is based on."

      I’d like to encourage all of you by the positive experience we have had with our LAWS project to reach out and educate people in your community about our legal system. Law Day on May 1 is fast approaching and may be the perfect impetus, but there are people who can benefit from learning more about the law from you 365 days a year.  If you need ideas, I’ve appointed a Law Day Committee which has compiled some good ones. Information about Law Day and our LAWS project is available on our Web site at  www.state.wv.us/wvsca/lawday/cover.htm

 or you can contact our Information Services Division at (304)558-0145. So visit your local school and talk to kids about the court system and what it takes to be a lawyer. Talk to a senior citizens group about elder law issues. Volunteer for a free legal clinic.

There are so many ways you can reach out and educate people about our legal system. There is so much to be gained by doing it.

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