In honor of Constitution Day, the Nebraska Court of Appeals will convene on the campus of Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska on September 10.

The Court of Appeals will divide into its customary two panels with three judges each to hold arguments at 9:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. at the Thom Leadership Education Center Auditorium (212 College Avenue).

“As a Nebraska university, we are honored to have the Nebraska Court of Appeals on campus,” said Concordia President Brian Friedrich. “This is a valuable learning opportunity for our students, area high school students, and community members to seeing firsthand how our judicial system works. As we honor Constitution Day, we are pleased to be a part of making this experience available.” 

The Court of Appeals will hear several cases during both the morning and afternoon sessions, followed by an open question and answer session with students in attendance. Students will be given detailed descriptions of each case to help them follow the legal arguments.

Concordia University students, along with government and social studies classes from area high schools, are invited to attend. Reporters, including student journalists, are encouraged to participate and ask questions.

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.

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.

The sessions are free and open to the public, and visitors are encouraged to attend.

High school classes or groups can make arrangements to observe Court of Appeals oral arguments sessions on September 10 at the 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. by contacting the Concordia University Admissions Department: Jessica Manley, 402-643-7274, jessica.manley@cune.edu

For information on audio recording of oral argument sessions at Concordia University, or about the Court of Appeals traveling oral arguments, email Janet Bancroft at janet.bancroft@nebraska.gov.

Constitution Day is a day set aside to observe the signing of the United States Constitution, which occurred September 17, 1787. Former Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia is credited with proposing the 2004 legislation that created the annual commemoration, which is mandatory for schools that receive federal funding. Celebration of Constitution Day in Nebraska has been annually sponsored by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation and the Nebraska Judicial Branch through specialized programming and providing Constitution Day resources on the Web for classroom teachers.