Sunland students take part in Law Day anniversary

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Law Day, students from Beatrice and DeWitt Tri County public schools gathered at Educational Service Unit 5 Monday to hear from local and state level officials who work with the law on a daily basis.

Law Day itself originates in 1958 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who sought to establish a day dedicated to the rule of law in the U.S.

Monday’s event was held by ESU 5 in association with the Gage and Jefferson County Bar Association.

Bar Association President Robert Schafer said one important effort to the association is education.

“This is one effort of the bar association to reach out to children, provide an educational opportunity,” he said.

Schafer said it’s an opportunity for the students to learn about the legal processes going on locally and hear from some of the people who work with the law daily.

The event included a distance-learning connection with Dave Rosenbaum of the National Archives. Rosenbaum, a former Tri County teacher, talked about and displayed various documents related to law housed at the archives.

The students also watched, through Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, as student winners of the Law Day Essay Contest asked questions of a panel of judges, including Chief Justice Michael Heavican and Justice John Gerrard of the Nebraska Supreme Court, and Judge Everett Inbody and Judge Frankie Moore of the Nebraska Court of Appeals.

One question was asked about what goes into a ruling, do judges base it on previous decisions or can they just decide how they want it to end?

“Law is all about foundations and building blocks,” Heavican said.

He said looking back at previous cases and researching the law are the building blocks they use to make their decisions.

Another question asked whether judges worry about having their decision overturned.

“Review is just part of the process,” Inbody said.

He said he never worries about what anybody else will do after he rules, but simply concentrates on trying to get it right.

In response to another question, Heavican said the state Supreme Court deals with about 250 cases per year.

“That’s enough to keep us busy all year long,” he said.

Among the local officials on hand, District Court Judge Paul Korslund said the Law Day event provided an educational opportunity for local students, along with creating awareness of the importance of the First Amendment and Constitution in action today.

He said it’s important for students to learn about their different rights, the workings of jury trials and the right to petition.

“Creating more awareness of this is also part of creating good citizens,” Korslund said.

Other local officials on hand for the event were Jefferson County Attorney Linda Bauer and private practice lawyer Duane Smith.