As the sun rose, the Ambassadors awoke and prepared for the day by suiting up and heading to the Gaertner Performing Arts Center. While some time was available for coffee, when the clock struck 8:30, all Ambassadors hustled to their posts. Some Ambassadors helped police officers at the Concert Hall entrance…
…others greeted guests, and others provided what was needed for the Justices before the hearings.
At 9:30 in the morning, the crowd lined up outside eager to watch the two cases being heard.
With Marshal Blake Hawthorne announcing “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez, All Rise,” the TXSC Justices entered SHSU–for the first time ever–to hear a case.
The first wave of attendees watched a case involving a heart surgeon filing a suit against his contractor over a wrongful termination charge. It was an interesting case, with much discussion over how to calculate earning, when cause was or wasn’t needed, and what records were used for dismissal.
The second hearing was one that some found a bit more difficult to follow. It concerned a business appealing jury instructions on a second trial that was given to the employee who had previously been awarded monetary damages for being injured on the job. Although a bit technical, throughout the two cases students and other attendees were captivated by the court’s performance.
All were attentive to the Justices’s interrogation, the attorneys’ responses, and, in short, the judicial process. Part of the SHSU Moot Court team attended the hearings and took notes on how the legal representation addressed the Justices’ concerns and questions to hopefully use in the upcoming Moot Court season.
Apart from the judicial process, it was a point of satisfaction for Keith Coogler and his construction management students, who successfully built the judicial bench for the hearings. It was an impressive feat, one commented on by the attorneys (“Wow”) and the Justices, who said they felt “right at home.”
Following the hearings, the Justices graciously posed for photos with the Ambassadors.
The Justices also posed with a group of exchange students from China…
…the GPAC staff…
…and their security detail.
It was a wonderful opportunity.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 