Members of the Idaho Supreme Court will hear three cases at BYU-Idaho in the Special Events Room of the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center on June 14.
The court will hear cases at 8:50 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. Following the oral arguments, justices will host a Q&A session.
Justice Gregory Moeller, both a former Idaho district court judge and a former adjunct professor at BYU-I, will speak on June 13 in the chapel of the Gordon B. Hinckley Building from 4-5 p.m.
Seeing democracy firsthand
Idaho Supreme Court justices last came to BYU-I in 2018. Each year, a certain number of cases must be heard outside of Boise in local communities.
“We hope students will take advantage of this unique learning opportunity to better understand how the court system works in the state of Idaho,” said Brett Crandall, BYU-I’s Public Affairs Director in a press release. “We are grateful the Idaho Supreme Court justices are willing to travel across the state to provide our students and local citizens a chance to witness what happens in court.”
Duane Adamson, chair of the History, Geography and Political Science departments, encouraged students to attend and witness the judicial process.
“The Idaho Supreme Court’s visit is a unique opportunity for our students to observe a part of democratic governance in action, to see the application of concepts and ideas they’ve discussed in class,” Adamson said in the press release. “We particularly appreciate the justices generously offering time for students to ask them questions about the judicial process.”
Supreme Court oral arguments
When the Supreme Court hears a case, it’s different from a typical court case. Representatives from each side will spend a certain amount of time — typically 30 minutes — presenting their cases. Justices will interrupt during this time and ask questions.
In oral arguments for the Supreme Court, there’s no examination of witnesses or the presentation of evidence. Supreme Court arguments focus on the bigger picture on issues regarding whether laws are constitutional or implemented constitutionally under the Idaho Constitution.
On June 14, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on three cases related to Southeastern Idaho.
Yellowstone Log Homes, LLC v. City of Rigby
Farms, LLC v. Ralph D. Isom and Paula Isom
State of Idaho v. Audrey Rose Monroe
To receive more in-depth information about each case, see a recent Scroll article.
