Constitution Day Connects Students to the Law

Students at Centenary grasped the significance of the U.S. Constitution and its importance in their daily lives during a Constitution Day talk that included Shreveport City Court judges Brittany Arvie and Emily Merckle and U.S. Marshal Brian Barber. The judges made use of their knowledge of local courts to show students how constitutional rights, laws and governmental institutions function outside what a student would experience in a classroom. The discussion delved into the practical interpretation of the Constitution and its impact on people's lives when they enter the judicial system.

Constitution Day marked the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, giving students a chance to think about the document more deeply than its significance in the history of American politics. Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Adam Golob explained the importance of understanding the Constitution, as government institutions have an impact on everyone, including those who study other disciplines in college.

“Everyone is operating under the same political sphere,” Golob said. “Whether someone chooses to study political science or law as a career, it is still pivotal that one understands how impactful those institutions, systems and people are.”

Golob compared the Constitution to a syllabus, explaining the basic organization of the federal government and its responsibilities and powers. “It is like a syllabus for a class,” Golob said. “Except it is a syllabus for the country.”

Judges made connections between concepts like the Constitution and the local court system by illustrating what occurs in a courtroom. Shreveport City Court dealt with civil and criminal cases, including small claims, eviction, traffic matters, DWIs, domestic violence and theft. Judges explained how all the bodies in the court system like prosecutors, public defenders, marshals, clerks and others participated in the process. Public defenders defend people charged with crimes who could not afford counsel, while marshals serve papers, transport prisoners and act as bailiffs. One judge said that “we could not do this job without them.”

Arvie and Merckle used data from arrests to show how constitutional principles were applied to specific incidents. Students were asked to think about questions of whether there was a good reason for an arrest and how judges made decisions about bail. One example dealt with the issue of domestic violence against a partner, while another was about a woman who was 21 and charged with DWI after police indicated that she was driving at the speed of 92 miles per hour in a speed zone of 60 miles per hour. The judges spoke about how the police gathered information and how this information would be taken into consideration in court.

“When I read this, I am like, OK, there is definitely contact, right?” one judge said while reviewing an arrest report. The demonstration made it possible for students to realize how judges relate facts in a given case to applicable laws.

The speakers also addressed some of  the misconceptions related to constitutional rights. Braden Dawson, Pre-Law Society President, acknowledged the fact that students should learn who gets protection at what time under the Constitution.

“One of the bigger misconceptions within the Constitution, and more specifically the Bill of Rights, is that these amendments apply to everyone and everywhere,” Dawson said. “The Constitution only protects you from the government, not private entities.”

Dawson said studying law also changed his understanding of the legal profession. Dawson added that he learned a lot about the legal profession during his study of law. Before that, he thought that lawyers only worked in courts.

The judges also debated the concept of impartiality when making decisions. According to the judges, it is necessary to separate personal beliefs from the facts of the case and make an unbiased decision. If a judge is unable to do so, he/she will have to recuse himself/herself from the case.

“Everybody deserves to come before a judge that is fair, that is impartial, that is not going to bring any emotion or anything in there,” one judge said.

The discussion provided a connection between the Constitution’s concepts of rights and responsibilities and the role of people working in the legal sphere.

According to Golob, Constitution Day serves as a chance for students to understand that the Constitution evolved over the years. As he noted, the original Constitution included provisions that reflected social injustice prevalent in those days, while later amendments introduced new protective measures. He added that realizing these changes enabled students to look at the Constitution as a living document that had evolved, not just a thing of the past.

"It is the backbone of our country," said Golob.

To Golob, the purpose of the event was to prompt students to reflect on a new question or perspective rather than just make them learn the Constitution by heart.

“Just one thing,” Golob said. “I hope that they leave the room with one new thought, idea, spark, anything. Just something they had not thought of before.”

During the Constitution Day event, students learned how a document studied in classrooms became the basis of real legal actions and principles applied by people working in the courts.