Once-in-a-lifetime lesson: Minnesota’s Supreme Court visits Anoka High School
Students are usually the ones taking field trips as part of their learning — to places like the science museum, Minnesota Zoo, or the state capitol.
But the tables turned April 11 when the Minnesota Supreme Court took a field trip to Anoka High School (AHS) as part of a biannual program aimed at engaging students about the importance of the justice system and the work of Minnesota’s highest court.
“Every time we visit a high school (like AHS), we are impressed by the incredible interest of students, their attentiveness during the official court proceedings, and the great questions they have about how their court system works,” said Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. “There is no better way to learn about the importance of our courts than to see (it) in action.”
And Gildea wasn’t joking. While justices took time to hold a question-and-answer session with students, had lunch with a small group of student representatives, and spent the afternoon visiting classrooms to discuss the judicial system, the court also heard oral arguments in a real case right there on the stage of the AHS auditorium: the State of Minnesota v. Cortney John Edstrom. See photos from the Supreme Court's visit to AHS.
The case, which about 850 district students had fly-on-the-wall status for its oral arguments, involves a 2015 case where Edstrom, the defendant, was convicted of drug charges after police, following up on a tip from an informant, used a drug-sniffing dog to sniff outside his apartment door to detect the presence of narcotics. The drug-sniffing dog gave a positive alert to police that it smelled drugs in the apartment, and that information was used to get a search warrant for the residence where drugs were indeed found, along with illegal firearms. Edstrom was convicted on drug and weapons charges in 2016, but in September of last year, the Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out the conviction, saying Edstrom’s fourth amendment rights were violated when police used a drug-sniffing dog to sniff outside his apartment door without a warrant. The state appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, and the court agreed to hear the case, the oral arguments for which students were able to watch and listen to at AHS.
“What an exciting place to be,” said Tenth Judicial District Judge Tammi Fredrickson to the assembled students as she introduced the case and the court before oral arguments began. “This is a very special opportunity to view first hand the highest court in the judicial branch of the state on Minnesota.”
After the oral arguments wrapped up, the justices adjourned and left the stage to derobe so they could take part in a 30-minute question-and-answer session with students. When the members of the court came back to the stage, Justice Margaret Chutich, a 1975 graduate of AHS, strutted to her seat wearing her letter jacket, which earned a loud ovation from the students in the auditorium.
“Justice Chutich has us all thrown off with her extravagant wardrobe,” Gildea joked once the applause subsided.
The mood was rather light for the question and answer session, and Gildea acknowledged the entire experience was a bit of a “roadshow,” but said it was an important part of what the Supreme Court does. Twice a year, the court treks out to two different schools to hear arguments in a case like the one they heard at AHS, and expose students to what it is the court does and maybe even drum up some interest in the field of law.
“It’s a really wonderful educational opportunity, both for the students and for us,” she said. “We get to hear from them — what’s on their mind and answer their questions, but we hope to learn from them, too.”
Students asked dozens of questions, such as how they got into law, if law school was hard, how technology has influenced the court over the years, how long it takes to prepare for a case, and what the court’s relationship with the legislature is.
Some questions were even deeper. AHS student Jack Weaver asked if the justices had ever made a decision they regretted.
“Part of being a good justice is being able to make decisions and them put them behind you and not let them weigh on you,” said Justice David Lillehaug, acknowledging it’s not always so simple, especially when they are hearing first-degree murder cases.
Another student asked the justices what, if anything, has changed for them while being on the bench.
“I think being on the court has reinforced my belief in our justice system,” said Chutich, who is in her second year on the Supreme Court. “(Also), I really enjoy having six other people to kick around these ideas with — I’ve learned how important a collegial process really is.”
Replying to a student who asked about what helped them succeed in school and as a lawyer, Lillehaug told students to participate in speech and debate and mock trial if they’re interested in law. “The ability to think through a problem logically and then get on your feet and describe it and answer questions that come back — that’s all very important,” he said.
Justice Anne McKeig agreed. “Go to school, be kind to your teachers and parents,” she joked.
Another student asked about the diversity on the bench, which features in Justice Chutich, the state’s first openly gay Supreme Court justice; the state’s first Native American to be on the Supreme Court in Justice McKeig; a female Chief Justice (Gildea); and an African American woman in Justice Natalie Hudson.
“It’s not just important in how we project to the public, but we have varied backgrounds and experiences and we bring that to the court,” Lillehaug said. “It’s extraordinarily important.”
Before leaving the stage, with a large smile on her face, Gildea joked AHS, which was 47th in-school oral argument for the court since it began visiting schools in 1995, was “the best high school in the state,” earning a loud and raucous round of applause.
When the question-and-answer session wrapped up, each justice had a small cadre of AHS student ambassadors, who were chosen by staff, ushering him or her around the school throughout the day.
In the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s visit, volunteer attorneys from the area spent time in classrooms to prepare students for the Supreme Court oral argument process, and the facts behind the case that was heard. So when the justices went to classrooms around the school later in the day, students had the chance to take what they had previously learned, then seen in court firsthand, and apply it to questions they had for the justices later.
For Heather Loeffler-Rostad, the chair of the AHS social studies department, who also lead the school’s planning for the Supreme Court visit, the day couldn’t have gone much better. “It went great. It was a really interesting case, and all kids can appreciate the importance of privacy issues,” she said.
Her favorite moment came during the question-and-answer portion of the day. “We had wonderful questions from the students and great interactions with the justices,” she said.
As for Justice Chutich, coming back to the school she graduated from was a wonderful experience and something she was proud of.
“It’s fabulous to be back. Unbelievable,” she said. “It’s been a long time — 42 years since I was a senior in this high school. I even saw my locker as I walked in.
“I really enjoyed my time here at Anoka High School. It was brand new back then, and we were the first class to go through all three years. I still keep in contact with friends.”
While the court heard oral arguments at the school, it’ll be a number of weeks before the court actually renders a decision, Gildea said.
Quad Cities Community Television (QCTV) livestreamed the oral arguments and the question-and-answer session, which is available on their website at qctv.org.