Courts in the Community

Contributing writer Holden Chao
Photos retrieved from: http://www.courts.state.hi.us/outreach/courts_in_the_community

On November 9th the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court extended its educational outreach program to the Performing Arts Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The mission of this Hawaiʻi State Judiciary program is to offer local high school students a hands-on experience to understand how the Hawaiʻi judicial system works.

Prior to the event, participating juniors and seniors from each school studied a curriculum developed by the Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center and the Students for Public Outreach and Civic Education of the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

Through the Courts in the Community program all five members of the State Supreme Court travelled to UH Hilo and held oral arguments from the pending case of State v. Russo in front of nearly three-hundred high school students from Waiakea High School, Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School, Hilo High School, Honokaa High & Intermediate School, Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School, and Connections Public Charter School.

The program offers students an opportunity to witness the proceedings and then students are welcomed to ask questions to the participating lawyers and then the justices. This was the tenth argument in the program, since its beginning in 2012.

This information was retrieved from the State of Hawaiʻi Judiciary website. For more please visit http://www.courts.state.hi.us/outreach/courts_in_the_community.