The six justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard three oral arguments from the stage of the Deering High School auditorium. Contributed / Portland Public Schools

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, over 100 Portland high school students witnessed the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in action, right inside their own school. The six justices seated on the stage of the Deering High School auditorium heard oral arguments on three appeals cases, giving students an authentic look at the functioning of Maine’s judicial system.

“It’s a lesson in civics that hopefully will stay with them for the rest of their lives,” said Rep. Samuel Zager, D-Portland, who invited the court to the school.

“They can get a firsthand glimpse at the length to which our state, our society, goes to try to ensure justice,” Zager said.

Every October since 2005, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has heard cases in three high schools in Maine at the invitation of local and state legislators. As of 2023, court had visited at least 47 high schools and heard over 134 appeals in those schools.

The court had not heard arguments in front of Portland students since 2011. This year, Deering High School hosted the event, with students from Deering High School, Casco Bay High School and Portland High School in attendance. The court also heard oral arguments at Messalonskee High School in Oakland on Oct. 8 and at Lewiston High School on Oct. 10.

“(The students) are seeing how this stuff actually works in practice, because we do talk about it a lot when we cover the judicial branch,” said Deering High School social studies teacher Joel Lesinski. “They saw it in real time.”

The three cases argued at Deering High School were appealed rulings made by lower courts across the state. Students could watch one case or choose to stay for all three.

The first case was about whether a Good Samaritan law should apply to a man who was found operating under the influence when police were summoned for a suspected medical emergency. In the second case, the appellant argued that a man convicted of hindering the arrest of his brother who was suspected of murder should have his conviction overturned following the acquittal of the brother. The third case focused on how far to the right traffic law requires a bicyclist to ride to let vehicles pass.

Portland high school students line up to ask the lawyers questions after their arguments. Contributed / Portland Public Schools

After each case was heard, the justices left the stage, and students could ask the lawyers questions about their arguments or the legal proceedings. The questions were facilitated by attorneys Maureen Sturtevant and James Spizuoco of the Portland law firm Drummond Woodsum. Sturtevant has children in the neighboring Longfellow Elementary School and Spizuoco was a 2007 graduate of Deering High School.

The decorum of the court alone left an impression on students, as they were asked to “all rise” and the justices walked out in judicial robes.

“It was cool seeing them like that, and also them asking us to stand and sit like we’re actually at the court,” said Deering High School senior Keira King. “Like, oh, this is how it goes. They were all dressed up, too.”

Social studies teachers at Deering High School integrated the court’s visit into their lessons, having students review the cases beforehand and discuss what might be argued or contested in the session.

“I had my AP Government kids yesterday read all of this and said, ‘What would you decide?’” said Deering High School social studies teacher Darcie Drew.

“I think it was really interesting for them to go in and hear the justices, then ask some of the same questions they were asking while they were looking at the case,” Drew said.

In addition to the students and Zager, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), state Rep. Edward Crockett (D-Portland), and Portland City Councilor Pious Ali attended the arguments.

Zager said he invited the court to Portland with the hope that the oral arguments would show students the pursuit of justice in a sometimes-unjust world.

“I can understand why students who are in high school now would be extremely frustrated with the world that they are learning about,” Zager said. “That why it’s so important to make sure that the younger generation has hope and sees the lengths, the mechanics, the manner of a fair trial and how an appellate process can help move us even a little closer towards the ideal of justice for all.”

Deering High School sophomore Charlie Dibble said he was interested in the distinction the justices made between fact and truth.

“Maybe there is a ‘right’ thing, but if you can reason that something is wrong or that something is right, that is different and you can get people to believe something that isn’t true but looks true,” Dibble said. “And just seeing that in action and seeing professionals tear that apart is so cool.”

Deering sophomore Jaidan Mann attended all three oral arguments. He said he had not seen a judicial court in action before.

“I was surprised by the questions the justices asked and how fast they put them up,” he said. Mann said he is interested in becoming a lawyer. For the occasion of the justices’ visit, he wore a burgundy suit to school.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime scenario,” he said. “It’s not every day that the Maine Supreme Court comes to your high school.”