Judge Lisa Page of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, said she appreciated the chance to visit with Festus Middle School students on March 7 and give a presentation about the law.
Page, who lives in Festus, and fellow Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Judge Cris Stevens, spoke to the students about the topic. “A Constitution That Still Works: The Fourth Amendment and Cell Phones.”
“It went great,” Page said. “What I really hoped that (students) took with them was the Constitution written in 1787 is a living, breathing document that is just as important to every student today as to those people who fought in the Revolutionary War.”
Because of the musical “Hamilton,” she said students may have heard of Alexander Hamilton and his work on behalf of the Constitution.
“Hamilton could never have envisioned a cell phone,” Page said.
The presentation focused on the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires probable cause for warrants. It also covered how courts must apply the principles of the Fourth Amendment to technology advancements.
Page said the legal presentations – which may be given to adults and students alike – are intended to educate people about the law and how people may look at the law differently.
“We try to ask the kids, ‘How would you react to a situation?’” she said. “We hope they realize two people can react differently to the same situation.”
Page said the students responded well to the presentation.
“They were really tuned in,” she said. “I really felt they got the importance of the Fourth Amendment.”
Erin Fete, a Festus Middle School social studies teacher, said students benefited from the presentation.
“I appreciate Judges Page and Stevens speaking with our students about the courts and their rights,” Fete said. “Our students were able to make a connection with leaders in our community. They also learned from the experts about their rights and how the court system interprets the laws.”
Seventh-grader Ada Reno said she liked the presentation.
“I thought it was really good and gave me information that we really needed to know, not stuff that we would never use,” Reno said.
Page said Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Russell encourages judges to make themselves available to educate people about the law.
“I think it is important for our judges to speak to our citizens, whether to students, civic groups or senior citizens about how the third branch of government, the judiciary, works,” Russell said. “The judiciary is probably the most mysterious branch of government because there are not any accurate television programs or movies about the judiciary. Who better to explain what judges do than those of us who work in this branch of government every day?”
Russell said a major point for judges to convey is they must rule based on the written law.
“As judges, we are bound to follow the written law whether we personally like the law or not,” she said. “We take an oath to follow the law and constitutions of the United States and the state of Missouri, so we must follow it as written.”
Rusell said she hopes more members of the public will schedule presentations from Missouri judges.
“Our judges are happy to come speak to citizens any time they are asked and are available,” Russell said.
For more information about Missouri court civil education presentations, visit courts.mo.gov/CivicEducation.