Courts in the Community

From left: Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack, Associate Justice Paula A. Nakayama, Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald, Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna, and Associate Justice Michael D. Wilson answer questions from the students after oral argument at Waipahu High School’s Courts in the Community event, November 14, 2019.

Courts in the Community is the Hawaii Supreme Court’s educational outreach program that gives high school students unique, hands-on experience in how the Hawaii judicial system works.

Under the Courts in the Community program, the full, five-member court travels to Hawaii high schools to hear oral argument in an actual case.

The event begins with remarks welcoming the audience and explaining the format of the proceedings. The court will hear one oral argument during the visit. At the conclusion of the argument, the justices depart the room so that the students may discuss the case with the participating lawyers. The lawyers leave the room at the end of their session and the justices return to answer non-case related questions from the students. A luncheon with the students and members of the bar usually wraps up the activities. The entire visit generally lasts about four to five hours.

Prior to the court convening on a campus, students have the opportunity to learn about the judicial system and the appellate process using 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. The students also participate in a moot court exercise involving the actual case that will be argued when the court comes to campus. The Hawaii State Bar Association has been providing financial support for students participating in the program. The moot court activity is facilitated by volunteer lawyers or law school students.