The Ninth District Court of Appeals recently heard cases in the Revere High School (RHS) auditorium, giving students an opportunity to learn more about the structure of local court systems.

Judge Donna Carr, Judge Lynne Callahan and Judge Thomas Teodosio judged two appellate cases, real cases decided by Summit County juries that had been previously appealed. The specific cases heard were the appeals of two criminal cases. All students in social studies classes were invited to attend the cases.

Judge Teodosio, who was elected to the Ninth District Court of Appeals in November 2016, explained the program that promotes first-hand student experience with courts.

“The Courtroom in the Classroom Program is an educational outreach program that allows the court to give high school students an understanding on how the Ohio judicial system works. The judges enjoy meeting with students and faculty, [as well as] discussing the law and the roles and responsibilities of judges,” Teodosio said.

Judge Lynne Callahan, who has actively served at the Ninth District Court of Appeals since February of this year, explained what she found valuable for the students in attendance.

“I’m happy the students had a chance to see a small part of what we do.  I think it’s very important for all of us to know how government works and who the people are who make up our government . . . . I think it’s important to go out into the community and let people see what their elected judges do, and I believe the classroom is the best place to start,” Callahan said.

Popular television shows that depict court proceedings, according to Callahan, often do so incorrectly, giving people a false impression of their local court system. With this visit to RHS, the Ninth District Court of Appeals hoped to dissolve some of this misunderstanding.

Teodosio explained the similarity between how cases are heard at the Akron courtroom in the O’Casek building and at RHS. This similarity brought authenticity to the auditorium, as students could accurately see local government proceedings.

“The court hears arguments exactly as presented at Revere High School. The only difference [was] that we were in an auditorium instead of a courtroom,” Teodosio said.

Jason Milczewski, AP Government teacher, voiced what he wanted his students to learn by witnessing legitimate court cases.

“I wanted them to get a sense of the structure of the state courts and also learn practical things about the courts and individual due process rights in the state of Ohio,” Milczewski said.

At the end of each the two court cases which were heard that day, the three judges held a question-and-answer period in which students and faculty could ask questions not about the specific cases, but about the court proceedings and laws. Milczewski explained why this was his favorite part of the event.

“I [enjoyed] the Q and A as it [gave] students a chance to interact with the judges and learn about the law. [It also exposed] them to a state court which is something we don’t normally get to [study], as Government classes focus on the Federal [level],” Milczewski said.

Milczewski stated that the court has offered to come to RHS every year, so underclassmen may have the opportunity to hear cases at RHS in the next few years as well.