Chiloquin, Ore. – A library at a High School in Klamath County served as a courtroom for the Oregon Court of Appeals Tuesday morning.
The Oregon Court of Appeals heard three cases at Chiloquin High School.
Judge Darleen Ortega says there are only a couple of differences when the court is ‘on the road’. “The setting. We’re not in our courtroom, and we have attorneys with us who are prepared to answer questions from the students.”
Edgar Ortega was one of the students who watched arguments on three cases.
Ortega noted that some of the finer points of the law focused on definitions. “Conceal’. The judges, I saw they were looking at that a lot, the word ‘conceal’. And I just found that very interesting.”
The cases dealt with hindering prosecution, camping in public, and suppression of evidence.
Judge Ortega says the judges are impressed by the questions the students ask. “We are. We try to make that possible for them to participate, by sending summaries of the cases ahead of time – but they always ask us very good questions.”
Edgar Ortega says the experience may help him look closer at a legal career. “It just seems something I would really like to look into a little bit.”
Klamath Tribal Court Judge Jeremy Brave-Heart worked with Chiloquin High School administrators to bring the Appelate Court to the school.
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