Article written by Alannah Goode & Arianne Goode
"This is no longer Norfolk High School; this is no longer the Johnny Carson Theater. This is now the Nebraska Supreme Court." Honorable James G. Kube, Judge of the District Court, 7th Judicial District, opened the Nebraska Supreme Court Oral Arguments at the Norfolk High School (NHS) on Friday, October 7, 2016, after Principal Jake Luhr introduced him to the stage. People and schools from all over the area came to watch the oral arguments. The reason behind the Nebraska Supreme Court's visit to NHS was to further an ongoing effort "to raise awareness of court processes and the importance of civics education to our society." This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for NHS, and the visit set out to accomplish what it wanted to achieve.
The Nebraska Supreme Court judges are Chief Justice Michael Heavican, Justice John Wright, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman, Justice William Cassel, Justice Stephanie Stacy, Justice Max Kelch, and Justice Jeffry Funke. At the oral arguments, the judges went through two court cases: State v. Betancourt-Garcia and In re Adoption of Micah H. The former court case's court briefs were an appellant, an appellee, and an appellant reply brief, while the latter case's court briefs were just an appellant and an appellee. Both sets of attorneys for each case gave their arguments, and the justices would stop to ask questions here and there.
After both of the cases were finished, Chief Justice Heavican called for a question and answer session for the audience, but it was more geared towards the students. Some of the questions asked were: "Do Nebraska's laws influence other state's laws?" and "How many cases do you normally do in a year?" and "How do you become a judge?" and "Do you have any tips for students to better their listening skills?" All the justices took the time to answer the questions with the utmost precision, and in turn, all the members in attendance became more informed on different matters of the Supreme Court. The biggest hit out of all the questions was the one about listening, to which Justice Stacy responded, "You have to be passionate about what you are listening to in order to listen well." Justice Miller-Lerman backed up Stacy by offering the funny comment, "Your parents have probably told you that you listen better when you sit up straight."
When the justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court stood to say their final goodbyes, offering little waves as they turned to exit, the crowd rose to attention. The judges helped make the event special, and they are well on their way to accomplishing their goal. In the end, everything turned out great, and it was truly a remarkable experience for all in attendance, and especially for NHS.
From the State of Nebraska Judicial Branch: https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/19935/nebraska-supreme-court-convene-norfolk-high-school-norfolk-nebraska-october-7-2016
