W.Va. Supreme Court Visits Marshall

Marshall University and local high school students had the chance, Tuesday, to hear the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia hold arguments at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. 

Marshall is the first of two West Virginia schools the high court is visiting this September. 

Patricia Proctor, founding director of the Simon Perry Center for Constitutional Democracy, said each person should have a basic understanding of the three branches of government. 

“We should all understand how the Legislative branch works, the judicial branch works, and the executive branch works,” Proctor said. “It’s just an important thing.”

Jared Hunt, communications director for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, said the goal of Marshall’s campus visit was to educate and inspire students.

“The justices hope that it can be an informative process for the students,” Hunt said. “Also, maybe educational and inspiring for them in a future career.”

Michael Borsuk, a Marshall student government member who represents the College of Business, said being able to watch the arguments firsthand is the best way to experience the judicial system. 

“There is no better way to experience it than to go in person and watch it directly, it’s as simple as that,” Borsuk said. 

The campus visit also came as part of the courts’ “LAWS Civics Education Program,” which is aimed at informing West Virginia high school students of judicial processes. 

The next school visit by the court is at Spring Valley High School on Wednesday at 10 a.m. 

For more information on the West Virginia Supreme Court docket, click here.

This report was produced thanks to a partnership between Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.