Mary Isabel Yu, Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court, talks with students of Wade Fisher's Mass Media class Monday morning at Centralia College.
All nine justices of the Washington State Supreme Court were at Centralia College early this week to meet with students, hold an open public forum and hear oral arguments in three cases.
“We travel three times per year and hear cases,” said Justice Steven C. González, who is also a co-chair for the traveling court committee with Justice Susan Owens. “Normally we hear arguments at the Supreme Court Building, which is called the Temple of Justice, in Olympia. But as a way to allow people who might not be able to travel to Olympia the chance to hear oral arguments, we travel.”
Each justice visited a different class at Centralia College Monday to speak with students. At 2 p.m., four of the justices — Owens, González, Debra L Stephens and Charles K. Wiggins — sat on a panel for an open community forum in Corbet Theatre. González said the program is also a chance for the justices to see what students are studying and provide input in the courses.
“Seven years ago, when I first joined the court, this was my very first traveling court experience,” said González during the presentation. “So it’s nice to be back.”
The justices provided an overview of the Washington State Supreme Court, as well as the entire Washington court system. Centralia College Board of Trustees Chair Stuart Halsan moderated the panel. Halsan began the discussion by asking for an overview on the philosophy of law — jurisprudence.
“The jurisprudence that is reflected in the United States is the rule of law, that no one is above the law, everyone is subject to the law, and that’s the governing principle,” Wiggins said. “We are not a government of men, or women, we are a government of law. … As the court, our power is limited. We have the ability to interpret the laws that are passed by the legislature, the constitution — both the state and federal — and the common law, which of course is the great body of wisdom that has been inherited by us over centuries of Anglo-American jurisprudence.”
The Supreme Court’s Traveling Court program is an outreach effort that began in 1985, in which the Supreme Court hears cases on the road. The program happens several times per year. González said the Supreme Court is also scheduled to hear cases in Port Townsend and Bellingham this year.
The panel discussion lasted a little over an hour, with four audience questions following. Both Centralia College Board of Trustee Vice Chair Mark Scheibmeir and member Jim Lowery asked questions following the forum.
“At the federal level, our Superior Court is appointed and we seem to have a consistency on really controversial issues of a 5-4 vote,” Lowery said. “Where you all are elected, do you have a group that seems to come together and vote consistently on controversial issues?”
González said he didn’t think so, and that it would be difficult to draw that line in the court.
“You will see us with very different majorities on different cases,” González said.
The justices are scheduled to hear three cases Tuesday at Corbet Theatre — State of Washington v. Michael Clifford Boisselle, State of Washington v. B.O.J. and State of Washington v. Marc Daniel McKee. The justices will answer audience questions immediately following the first two cases, before recessing to conference on the cases. Following the last case, the the justices will answer questions.
• 9:00 a.m: Case No. 1 — State of Washington v. Michael Clifford Boisselle: Did a warrantless search of Boisselle’s home fall under the community caretaking exception to the warrant requirement?
• 10:15 a.m.: Case No. 2 — State of Washington v. B.O.J.: Did the trial court err by sentencing a juvenile to a longer-than standard range sentence for two counts of shoplifting?
• 1:30 p.m.: Case No. 3 — State of Washington v. Marc Daniel McKee: Instead of dismissing the charges, should the Court of Appeals have remanded this case for a possible retrial?
