The Nebraska Court of Appeals celebrated Constitution Day on the campus of York College on September 13, 2018. College and area high school students in attendance were reminded that the official Constitution Day is September 17.

The Court of Appeals sat in their customary two panels in the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center with Judge Lawrence Welch, Jr., presiding in the morning and Judge David Arterburn presiding in the afternoon.

Judge Arterburn is a graduate of York College.

The evening prior to oral arguments, Court of Appeals judges were joined by Supreme Court Justice Jeff Funke at a local bar event organized by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation. Lawyers celebrated Constitution Day with a pop-quiz and honored York area lawyers who volunteer with youth and youth programming. Certificates of appreciation were presented to attorneys involved with Mock Trials and with the “Through the Eyes of the Child” initiative.

This college campus initiative, designed by judges of the Court of Appeals, is intended to provide Nebraskans the opportunity to learn about the judicial branch. Students are provided with a description of the appellate court process, briefs and summaries of cases, and background information on the court system and judges.

The Court of Appeals of Nebraska is the state’s second-highest court and reviews appeals from state trial court decisions. A decision of the Nebraska Court of Appeals is final unless a party is granted further review by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The six judges on the Court of Appeals handle approximately 1,000 appeals per year, of which approximately 400 result in published or memorandum opinions.

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College arguments:

• York College Graduate, Judge Dave Arterburn introduces fellow judges Frankie Moore and Riko Bishop.
• Bailiff Laura Monsees, calls the room to order for afternoon arguments: Moore, Arterburn, Bishop.
• Morning panel judges Mike Pirtle, Larry Welch, and Francie Riedmann field questions from students following arguments.

Lawyer’s Reception:

• Chief Judge Frankie Moore welcomes Judges C. Jo Petersen, Linda Caster-Senff (Jim Stecker and Tina Marroquin not in photo) along with many area lawyers to the Constitution Day celebration.
• Justice Jeff Funke congratulates new District Court Judge Tina Marroquin on her work with the case writing committee for the Nebraska High School Mock Trial Competition.