Boyd Students Work to Educate Citizens about Proposed Court of Appeals
This semester, students in Professor Jean Whitney’s Community Law class have partnered with the Nevada Supreme Court in an effort to educate Nevada voters on the state’s need for an appellate court. Their efforts have been focused on informing voters of the issues surrounding the need for the court. The ballot question will ask voters to amend the state’s constitution to allow for the creation of the much needed court.
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Did you know? • Nevada is one of only ten states that does not currently have an appellate court? |
The students spent the semester researching procedures for amending the state constitution, the history of the proposed amendment, election laws, and the reasons an appellate court is needed. They created surveys and educational presentations, which were given to community education classes at the Boyd School of Law and the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, local area high schools, and classes at Boyd.
In addition to their efforts to educate the community, at the request of Nevada Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty, the students drafted an argument for passage that would appear on the ballot question in November. While final approval of the arguments for and against the amendment rests with the Secretary of State, the students hope he will substantially utilize their draft.
As the end of the semester nears, the students are reflecting on their experiences and hope that next fall semester a new group of students will continue and expand efforts to educate the community in time for the General Election on November 2, 2010.