Students from across the Central Valley came to Downtown Fresno Wednesday to see a rare oral argument hearing of the California Supreme Court. Photo contributed

The next generation of attorneys and judges were invited to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Downtown Fresno Wednesday morning to watch a special oral argument hearing from the Supreme Court of California.

Several local schools ranging from elementary all the way to college were in attendance to ask the seven justices questions about what they like most about working in law and what advice they would give to students.

This marked the first time since 2010 that the Supreme Court of California has held oral arguments in Fresno.

The schools that made the trip were, Maple Creek Elementary, Buchanan High School, Bullard High School, Clovis High School, Clovis North High School, Clovis East High School, Clovis West High School, Coalinga High School, Justin Garza High School, Reedley High School, Roosevelt High School and San Joaquin College of Law. 

In 2023, Maple Creek was presented with the Civil Learning Award of Excellence. It was also the only school to have more than one student ask a question.

All seven justices — Martin J. Jenkins, Joshua P. Groban, Carol A. Corrigan, Leondra R. Kruger, Kelli M. Evans, Goodwin H. Liu and Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero — were each asked a question from a student. 

Jenkins was asked what inspired him to get into law. 

When he was going into college, Jenkins wanted to become a teacher due to the role that they had played in his life up to that point.

Jenkins, who played football at the University of Santa Clara, wanted to pursue a career in the NFL before becoming a teacher. 

One of his coaches steered him in the direction of becoming a lawyer by telling him how much of a leader he is to the team.

With all of the students watching, Jenkins hoped he would make a similar impact on the students that his coach at Santa Clara made on him.

Groban and Corrigan were both asked about the best qualities that a lawyer could have. Groban said that being prepared and constantly working on writing/ oral advocacy skills are some of the best qualities that someone can have.

Corrigan believes that humility is the most important thing for a lawyer to possess. 

“[The citizens] give us a great deal of authority. You stand up when you walk in a room,” Corrigan said during the Q&A. “The best judges remember that the law doesn’t just belong to us judges. It belongs to all of us.”

Working on a court, there are sure to be disagreements. Kruger was asked how she works through disagreements with her colleagues.

She said that it can often be uncomfortable, but knows that it’s often because they just see the issue from a different perspective.

Evans favorite part of being on the California Supreme Court is being a part of a group where everyone is dedicated to what they do. She also added that all six of her colleagues are very nice, which makes working with them easy.

Former United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg served on the Supreme Court for over 27 years. When Liu was asked about his law role model, he went with the late Ginsberg.

Liu served as a law clerk for Ginsberg just a few years after graduating from law school. 

Like Groban mentioned earlier, Ginsberg’s ability as a writer is what made her stand out and was one of the qualities that Liu respected about her.

What stood out to Liu the most was that Ginsberg was never afraid to speak her mind, even though it often led to disagreements with the public.

Guerrero was the last justice to be asked a question, and she was asked what her advice to students would be. 

Her advice was that students should understand the “why” factor as to why they would want to work in public service.

“You should ask yourself why do you want to be a lawyer,” Guerrero said. “It can be because you want to help other people, it can be because you want financial stability and independence, or it could be because you love reading, writing and doing research.”

After the Q&A, students got to watch the seven justices in action as they took part in four separate hearings throughout the morning and early afternoon.