Supreme Court to Hold Arguments Before Students in Wyoming County as Part of LAWS Civics Education Program
CLEAR FORK, W.Va. – The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will host more than 350 high school students from Wyoming and McDowell counties along with students from the Appalachian School of Law on Tuesday, Oct. 20, when it convenes at Westside High School to hear arguments as part of its Legal Advancement for West Virginia Students (LAWS) civics education program.
The event begins at 10 a.m. in the Westside High School auditorium and will feature oral arguments in three cases currently before the Court.
Students from four area high schools – including Westside High School and Wyoming East High School of Wyoming County and Mount View High School and River View High School of McDowell County – as well as the Wyoming County Career and Technical Center will attend. Ten law students from the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., are also expected to attend.
While the LAWS program has been bringing the Court to West Virginia high schools since 1999, this will be the first time the Court hosts the event in Wyoming County – the home county of current Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Haley Bunn.
“As an Oceana native, I am beyond proud to bring the Supreme Court’s LAWS program to Westside High School,” Chief Justice Bunn said. “The LAWS events are some of our most cherished experiences as Supreme Court justices, and to be able to bring it to students in my home county for the first time ever is especially meaningful. I truly hope this event not only educates students about the judicial branch of government, but inspires them to pursue a career in law or public service.”
The Supreme Court conducts LAWS events at schools around the state twice a year. Prior to the oral arguments, local attorneys and judicial officers visit the schools involved to explain the appellate process and to help students study the cases.
“We are honored to host the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia’s LAWS program at Westside High School,” said Deirdre Cline, interim superintendent of Wyoming County Schools. “This unique event will provide our students the opportunity to witness the judicial branch in action firsthand, beyond just studying it in the classroom. We are particularly excited to welcome Chief Justice Bunn back home to Wyoming County, and hope seeing an Oceana native sitting on the state’s highest court can inspire our students to dream big and recognize they too can make a significant impact in our state.”
Students will rotate in groups during Tuesday’s event, with each group listening to one oral argument. After the argument, the lawyers representing each side will take a few minutes to debrief the students in a separate room on what they just witnessed and respond to questions. All groups will also return to the auditorium prior to lunch for a general question-and-answer session with the justices.
“The LAWS program not only gives students an opportunity to see the Supreme Court at work, but it also gives us the opportunity to interact directly with the students, to answer their questions about what it’s like to work in the judicial branch and to have a conversation with them about what brought us to this point in our careers and public service,” Chief Justice Bunn said. “Through those conversations, I hope we can show them that it doesn’t matter how small a town you grew up in, there are real opportunities here in West Virginia for you to contribute and make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family.”
Since the LAWS program was established in 1999, more than 8,000 students from 41 counties have participated. Wyoming County will become the 42nd county to have students participate in the program with Tuesday’s event.
The cases scheduled for argument Tuesday are:
- 10:00 a.m. – Case No. 23-733: State of West Virginia v. William Ross Carman;
- 10:25 a.m. – Case Nos. 24-274 and 24-757 (consolidated): West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Joseph Wood, Superintendent of the North Central Regional Jail v. Robert Newbrough and West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation v. Connie Hardy, as the Personal Representative of the Estate of Franklin Barnhouse; and
- 12:05 p.m. – Case No. 24-609: Bohnert International, Inc., et al. v. Motorists Mutual Insurance Company.
Additional information and briefs associated with the cases can be found on the arguments calendar page of the Supreme Court’s website located here: https://www.courtswv.gov/appellate-courts/supreme-court-of-appeals/current-docket/october.
In addition to being open to the public, the arguments will be live streamed on the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wvsupremecourt.
Westside High School is located at 122 Renegade Way, Clear Fork, W.Va.
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