On Tuesday November 2nd and Wednesday November 3rd, the Cathedral Catholic senior class had the opportunity to tour the court rooms of the San Diego Superior Court. The students were given around two hours to sit in on whichever trials they were interested in during the day, and then they took scheduled tours to different part of the courthouse.

From 7:30-8:30, the students met at the Linda Vista Trolley Station to head downtown.

After the trolley ride, the senior class arrived at the courthouse and, from 9:00-10:00, Judge Francis M. Devaney spoke to the students about the main purpose of Justice 101. He explained what the consequences would be if they chose to break the law. Though he did this with a touch of humor, he did scare some of the students.  The judge made it clear to the students that he intended to impact their lives. Judge Frederic Link spoke to students on the other day of the trip.

Mr. Matt Baier, an AP Government teacher said, “The students get to see our justice system in action. I hope that it makes a larger impression than just reading about trials or watching a video about trials. The real goal of the trip is for students to think about the consequences of their actions.  The trip is limited to high school Seniors because they are 17 and 18 years old. The judges and other people at the courthouse want students to understand that their bad decisions can have very serious consequences.”

From 10:00-12:00 The seniors were free to roam the halls of the court, venturing into any trial that looked appealing. Each senior had received a guidance sheet with which room to go into for each type of trial. Most students ended up in the arraignment court room. Most cases dealt with stealing and/or drug abuse.

Next, from12:00-1:00, one of the supervisors of the program, Julie Myres of Justice 101, spoke to the seniors and went through some examples of DUI cases.

Senior Nick Gatan said, “My favorite part was when the bailiff pretended to arrest Alexis Jammo and Chris Adams. I bet those pictures turned out awesome!”

“Overall, the trip to the court house was a day to remember,” Senior Mariah Lang said, “If I could go back again I would, hands down.”