- Supreme Judicial Court
- Massachusetts Court System
Media Contact for High School Students Participate in Student Government Day Activities at Supreme Judicial Court
Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago
BOSTON, MA — Fourteen students from seven high schools across the Commonwealth today learned about the state judiciary and the appellate process during Student Government Day at the Supreme Judicial Court. The students who participated were elected by their classmates to represent them at the State House and the Supreme Judicial Court at the annual event.
The day began with activities at the State House, where students learned about the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of government. Appeals Court Associate Justice Mark V. Green addressed the students on behalf of the Judicial Branch.
The students then spent the afternoon at the John Adams Courthouse where they were led on a tour of the courthouse and learned about the state judiciary and the appellate process from recently retired Supreme Judicial Court Justice Margot Botsford; Supreme Judicial Court Clerk for the Commonwealth Francis V. Kenneally; Supreme Judicial Court First Assistant Clerk for the County of Suffolk Eric Wetzel; and Supreme Judicial Court Law Clerks assigned to the Justices.
Justice Botsford spoke about the collaborative nature of being an appellate court judge and how it differs from being a trial judge. She explained the process of becoming a judge and the ways in which the Massachusetts court system is different and similar to other states. Clerk Kenneally and First Assistant Clerk Wetzel educated the students about the work they do at the court, and the history of the Supreme Judicial Court.
The Supreme Judicial Court hosted two students from each of the seven schools below:
- Auburn High School
- Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
- Pioneer Valley Regional School
- Swampscott High School
- The Education Cooperative High School
- The Learning Center for the Deaf
- Wakefield Memorial High School
Established in 1947, Student Government Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to encourage students to learn about the role and function of the three branches of government through observation and active participation.