In celebration of Constitution Day, the Nebraska Court of Appeals will hold a special session at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska, on September 10, 2024. The court will convene at the McDonald Theatre, located at 51st and Huntington Avenue, where it will operate in its standard format of two panels, each consisting of three judges. Arguments will be heard at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Court of Appeals Judges Francie Riedmann and Riko Bishop will introduce the sessions, providing context for the arguments. During both the morning and afternoon sessions, the Court of Appeals will hear several cases, followed by a question-and-answer session open to attending students. Detailed descriptions of each case will be provided to help students understand the legal arguments presented.

Nebraska Wesleyan University students, as well as government and social studies classes from local high schools, are invited to attend. Reporters and student journalists are also encouraged to participate and ask questions.

This college campus initiative, developed by the judges of the Court of Appeals, aims to provide Nebraskans with the opportunity to learn about the judicial branch. The Nebraska Court of Appeals, the state's second-highest court, reviews appeals from state trial court decisions. Its decisions are final unless a party is granted further review by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

The sessions are free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.

For more information about audio recordings of the oral argument sessions at Wesleyan University or the Court of Appeals' traveling oral arguments, please email Janet Bancroft.

Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. Former Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia proposed the 2004 legislation that made this annual observance mandatory for schools receiving federal funding. In Nebraska, the Nebraska State Bar Foundation and the Nebraska Judicial Branch have sponsored the celebration of Constitution Day annually. They offer specialized programming and provide online resources for classroom teachers to support this observance.