Students get up close look at Ohio Supreme Court

Ohio Supreme Court justices, from left: Justice Judith L. French, Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, Justice Terrence O'Donnell, Justice Sharon L. Kennedy, and Justice William M. O'Neill listen as Douglas Cole, an attorney for Cedar Fair LP, argues during a session of the Supreme Court of Ohio in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law.

The Blade/Andy Morrison
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Ohio Supreme Court justices, from left: Justice Judith L. French, Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, Justice Terrence O'Donnell, Justice Sharon L. Kennedy, and Justice William M. O'Neill listen as Douglas Cole, an attorney for Cedar Fair LP, argues during a session of the Supreme Court of Ohio in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law.

More than 350 Lucas County area high school students had an opportunity today to witness the Supreme Court of Ohio listen and consider oral arguments in three cases during a court session held in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law.

Their visit is part of the court’s Off-Site Court Program, which helps expose and educate more youths to how the judicial system works, said Joelynn Laux, president of the University’s Student Bar Association and one of the organizers of Wednesday’s event. Dozens of university law students attended and volunteered to help run the event.

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“It’s such an honor to have the Supreme Court come here and that includes distinguished alum Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger,” said Ms. Laux, who will graduate in May with her Juris doctorate and master's degree in business. “It’s important to have the high school students here to see the process and how it works.

“It’s also important to educate the community about what their rights are.”

Theo Coman, a junior at Ottawa Hills High School, asks members of the Supreme Court of Ohio what their thoughts are of Judge Judy before a court session in the McQuade Law Auditorium today.

Volunteers from the Toledo Bar Association, with the assistance of several law students, explained Ohio’s judicial system and reviewed case materials with the high school students before the sessions. Students also met with case attorneys to debrief and discuss the legal issues.

The Off-Site Court Program was founded in 1987 by the late Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer and is designed to teach Ohioans about the state's judicial system. Twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall, the Supreme Court relocates from Columbus to hold session in another city, selecting a different county each time. The Supreme Court last sat in Lucas County in 1987, the first year of the program.

The event gave 1977 alumna Justice Lanzinger, the opportunity to hear cases at her alma mater. A member of the Ohio Supreme Court since 2005, Justice Lanzinger is a Toledo resident and a former trial and appellate judge in Lucas County.

Contact Federico Martinez at: fmartinez@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.