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Log inOrder in the court at Bangor High
Order in the court at Bangor High
by Outspoken on Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:01 am
Order in the court at Bangor High
Justices give students taste of law in action
By Judy Harrison
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court convened Wednesday morning in Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School before 300 to 400 students and a handful of community members.
Bill Ames, the chairman of the history department, said the entire junior class and about 30 students enrolled in the Senior Seminar course that focuses on government and politics were in attendance.
“It’s urgent that the kids get to interact with government,” he said, “so that they see government not as it is written about in some textbook, but in action.”
The supreme court has gone on the road each fall for the past three years to educate high school students and the public about what it does. The court is visiting five schools this year, up from three last year. BHS was the fourth stop at a high school this month for the court’s seven justices. Last week, they met at Sanford High School. The court visited Cony High School in Augusta on Monday and Winthrop High School on Tuesday. The justices are scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. today in the gymnasium at Shead High School in Eastport.
“It’s an opportunity for the students to see it in action,” Senior Associate Justice Robert W. Clifford said of the court’s school visits before Wednesday’s session. “The appellate court can be a little dry and sometimes seem pretty removed from the public, so it’s a good opportunity to [see] what the court does.” Clifford was appointed in 1986 to the state’s high court by Gov. Joseph Brennan and is its longest-serving member. During his tenure on the court, he and his fellow justices most often have convened at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
Every effort is made to conduct the proceedings in schools as they would be conducted in a courtroom, Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley said Wednesday. She said the justices prepare for oral arguments the same way they would if arguments were held in a courtroom with just attorneys, law clerks and interested parties in the gallery: They read the written arguments submitted, the record from the lower courts, and the transcripts of hearings, trials and other proceedings that already have been held.
Sometimes in school settings, however, they frame their questions a bit differently.
“We do try to begin the questions with a bit more context and background,” Saufley said. “We also use less legal shorthand than we would if we had a roomful of lawyers.”
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/92228.html
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTOS BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS
Justices give students taste of law in action
By Judy Harrison
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court convened Wednesday morning in Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School before 300 to 400 students and a handful of community members.
Bill Ames, the chairman of the history department, said the entire junior class and about 30 students enrolled in the Senior Seminar course that focuses on government and politics were in attendance.
“It’s urgent that the kids get to interact with government,” he said, “so that they see government not as it is written about in some textbook, but in action.”
The supreme court has gone on the road each fall for the past three years to educate high school students and the public about what it does. The court is visiting five schools this year, up from three last year. BHS was the fourth stop at a high school this month for the court’s seven justices. Last week, they met at Sanford High School. The court visited Cony High School in Augusta on Monday and Winthrop High School on Tuesday. The justices are scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. today in the gymnasium at Shead High School in Eastport.
“It’s an opportunity for the students to see it in action,” Senior Associate Justice Robert W. Clifford said of the court’s school visits before Wednesday’s session. “The appellate court can be a little dry and sometimes seem pretty removed from the public, so it’s a good opportunity to [see] what the court does.” Clifford was appointed in 1986 to the state’s high court by Gov. Joseph Brennan and is its longest-serving member. During his tenure on the court, he and his fellow justices most often have convened at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
Every effort is made to conduct the proceedings in schools as they would be conducted in a courtroom, Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley said Wednesday. She said the justices prepare for oral arguments the same way they would if arguments were held in a courtroom with just attorneys, law clerks and interested parties in the gallery: They read the written arguments submitted, the record from the lower courts, and the transcripts of hearings, trials and other proceedings that already have been held.
Sometimes in school settings, however, they frame their questions a bit differently.
“We do try to begin the questions with a bit more context and background,” Saufley said. “We also use less legal shorthand than we would if we had a roomful of lawyers.”
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/92228.html
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTOS BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
