The Michigan Supreme Court traveled to Lowell High School on Wednesday as part of the Court Community Connections program, allowing high school students from across West Michigan to observe the judicial process firsthand.
The high school auditorium was transformed into a courtroom where the justices heard oral arguments in a real case.
"We usually do it about two times a year," said Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh.
Started in 2007, the Court Community Connections program aims to help students better understand Michigan's appellate courts and judicial system by bringing court proceedings directly to communities across the state.
"We've been in all different parts of the state. And it's, it's awesome. It's, it's wonderful to have students so engaged and wanting to learn, not only about a case, but about the law, what it's like to work in the field of law or public service," Chief Justice Cavanagh said.
Despite the change in venue, Cavanagh noted that the day's proceedings remained professional and authentic. "We still have attorneys arguing who are deserving of our time and attention, and really it feels just like any other case," she said.
Students like Carter Kretschchmin, a junior from Coppersville High School, attended to gain real-world experience.
"I wanted to get, like, firsthand experience to see what it'd be like in a courtroom," Kretschchmin said. "I thought it was really interesting to see how it really works, because it's there's a big difference between learning about it in class and then actually seeing what happens going on in court, and I thought like seeing what happened really ,I mean, it was really cool."
Following the proceedings, students had the opportunity to meet and speak with the justices.
Emma McCall, another student in attendance, described her experience: "It was cool, and she was giving you, like, good, like, advice, I guess, and you could be right in person with her."
Chief Justice Cavanagh emphasized the program's importance in building public trust in the judiciary.
"The only currency that the court has, or that the judiciary has, is trust in our branch. And I think when we come into the community and we hear cases and we show civility and hard work and how we do our job, I think we build that trust," she said.
For high school students interested in learning more about the justice system, a weeklong program is held at the Hall of Justice in Lansing each July. For more information about the program click here
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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