Supreme Court is coming to Big Bend
Courtesy photo<br> The State Supreme Court members hold court in Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE — The Washington State Supreme Court justices are coming to Big Bend Community College May 17-18.
The justices are having lunch with students and speaking to several classes in pairs. They are holding a student forum from 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and are hearing arguments on three cases in open court sessions Tuesday, beginning at 9 a.m.
Both the court sessions and student forum are free and open to the public. They are held at the college’s Masto Conference Center.
“A couple times a year, the justices visit community colleges around the state,” said Melinda Dourte, executive assistant to Big Bend’s president. “We’ve been waiting and hoping for a couple years now that they would come to Big Bend. We were excited to get the call.”
Some classes the justices are visiting are nursing ethics, political science, social problems and economics. They are talking about their experiences and answering questions.
“This is a great opportunity for students that are interested in criminal justice or becoming attorneys,” Dourte said. “This is a student’s chance to talk to justices about what led them to this place in their career and get tips. For those not interested in pursuing this field, they still have a great educational opportunity to learn something new.”
Tuesday’s open court features three real cases argued by attorneys, just as if the justices were at the Temple of Justice in Olympia.
“This is a great opportunity to see something most people don’t get to see,” Dourte said.
Each oral argument is followed by a short question and answer session. The public is not allowed to ask questions concerning the cases, but may speak on other issues.
Community members can go online to read about each case. The briefs are available at www.courts.wa.gov.
Big Bend Community College is located at 7662 Chanute Street N.E. in Moses Lake.
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