Public Notice Detail
MN Judges Kick Off 49th Youth in Government Program
Posted: Tuesday, January 7, 2003
ST. PAUL, MN (Jan. 7, 2003) – Minnesota Supreme Court Justices and Court of Appeals Judges will help swear in more than 1,500 of the state’s young people during Thursday opening sessions of Minnesota YMCA Youth in Government.
The 49th annual Model Assembly is a complex simulation of the state’s judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. The program will continue through Sunday at the State Capitol complex.
“I often tell students that one of the most important things they can do in life is show up and participate,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul H. Anderson, who sits on the Youth in Government board. “Model Assembly is a marvelous experience for students who have the chance to immerse themselves in how government works.”
Justice Anderson will perform the oaths of office to students in the Capitol Supreme Court Chambers, followed by a swearing-in ceremony in the House Chambers. Justices Helen M. Meyer and Sam Hanson, and Court of Appeals Judges Terri J. Stoneburner, James C. Harten, G. Barry Anderson, Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks and Wilhelmina M. Wright will also participate in various locations.
Youth in Government began in Minnesota in 1946. In 1975, the Youth in Law program, which consisted of a model Supreme Court, was developed with the help of the late Minnesota Supreme Court Justice C. Donald Peterson. The Youth Court of Appeals was added in 1985 for 9th- and 10th-grade students.
Students involved in the Youth in Law program prepare arguments for the appellant and respondent in their cases, write case briefs and participate in oral arguments before a panel of student judges.
For more information about Youth in Government, visit www.mnyig.org.