In an auditorium overflowing with both high school and college students, the Court of Appeals opened their morning session at Concordia college with the case of “In re Interest if Michael R” from Scottsbluff. Court of Appeals judges listened to arguments along with Judge James Stecker, Judge C Jo Peterson, and members of the Seward County Court staff.  Students from the college sat throughout the auditorium, among them were classes from Bellevue West, Seward and Centennial high schools. During the questions and answer session, students asked a variety of questions including whether or not judges could be fired, how judges got their jobs, and what they did before attending law school.
 
Judge Larry Welch noted that he attended law school following a career as an accountant; Judge Frankie Moore took the advice of her college advisor to attend law school after strongly considering a career in social work; and Judge Mike Pirtle entertained careers in law, teaching or coaching—in the end, he chose law. 
During the afternoon session, attended by Concordia students and members of the public, judges heard criminal and civil cases. The afternoon attendees asked about preferred college majors and activities for those who are law school bound.

Judge Francie Riedmann replied that her undergraduate degree is in Communications; Judge Riko Bishop is an English major, turned teacher, turned business manager; and Judge Dave Arterburn holds an undergraduate degree in speech communication and spent time teaching school before attending law school. All three judges agreed that students should pick a major driven by their passion because “working in an area you love means that you will do well.”  In the end, good grades and scoring well on the LSAT are more important than any chosen major in college. 

Both panels recommended that students speak with program sponsor Kurth Brashear, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, to explore his experiences with law school. 
 
The Sower (Concordia Student Newspaper): Concordia Hosts Nebraska Court of Appeals