By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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About 250 students from five East Hawaii High Schools were present Thursday at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Performing Arts Center to hear oral arguments before the Hawaii Supreme Court as part of the Judiciary’s “Courts in the Community” program.

Participating schools included Hilo High School, Waiakea High School, Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School, Connections Public Charter School and Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School.

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The program aims to enhance civic education and promote greater public understanding about the judicial system, and students observed real court proceedings and had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with the justices following the proceedings.

“We started this program of holding oral arguments in the community because we thought it was important to let people see how we actually operate. What does the rule of law look like?” Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald told the Tribune-Herald afterwards. “You know, people hear about that in the abstract, and I’m not sure that for a lot of people, they really understand what that gets at.

“So for us, we come out in the community and, particularly with young people, do what we do. We hold oral arguments in a case. We ask tough questions of both sides. And I hope, at the end of the day, people watch, listen and understand that our system is geared towards getting to the truth, geared towards giving everyone a fair chance to present their side, and coming to a well-reasoned decision.”

“I think it’s critical that people be able to see us and demystify, a little bit, who we are and see us in action, so they can make their own judgments about the trustworthiness of the institution,” he continued. “And obviously, we think what we do is worthy of trust — but we understand we have to let people see it so they can make their own judgment.”

The case heard Thursday in Hilo, State vs. Charles Zuffante, involves legal issues arising from a traffic stop in Kailua-Kona that turned into a methamphetamine bust. The in-custody interrogation of Zuffante at the Kona Police Station in October 2021 wasn’t recorded by police, who said their recording equipment was broken. Zuffante appealed his conviction for first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and 20-year prison sentence.

The case raised questions regarding whether Zuffante’s statements to police were made voluntarily, and whether he received an adequate defense from his legal counsel during trial.

No decision on the appeal was made Thursday.

In preparation for Thursday’s event, volunteer attorneys from the Hawaii State Bar Association and the local legal community visited participating classrooms to help students understand the appellate process and the legal issues involved in the case.

Case Carrillo, a junior at HAAS, said he gained an “understanding of how the Supreme Court hears cases and understanding of how invested in the community they really are.”

“I think that recordings should be required for (in-custody interrogations), as I do feel that they protect both the defendants and the police officers,” Carrillo said. “I do have interest in becoming a lawyer, and that is why this is so interesting to me to come and see this.”

Another HAAS junior, Isaac Sharpe, said his biggest takeaway was seeing how the justices “treat both parties — both the state and the appellant — with the same scrutiny.”

“I didn’t see any clear biases in any of them,” Sharpe said. “Seeing this in action solidified a lot of my trust and faith in the system that we currently have.”

A third HAAS student, Brandon Goehring, called the experience “something I couldn’t pass up.”

“I’m not interested in pursuing law, but I think it’s something that everyone should know, at least have a baseline knowledge of,” Goehring said. “I don’t know if I would’ve ever gotten the opportunity to understand the courts in this way.”

Associate Justice Vladimir Devens said that about 7,000 students have taken part in the program since it started in 2012. He also noted that this is the fifth time the program has brought the state’s highest court to the Big Island and the court’s third time in Hilo.

“It’s nice to see the kids come out, the students from the different high schools,” Devens said. “They get to work with the attorneys, so they have some understanding what the case is about. From what I understand, they get to do a little mock trial, argue both sides of the case. It’s something that, to me, is a really valuable experience for them.”

According to Devens, the students asked “amazing, very in-depth questions, astute questions.”

“You can tell that they have genuine interest in the law — and hopefully, this will motivate them to think about law school,” he said.

Recktenwald, who’ll reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Oct. 8 after 15 years as chief justice, called it “important that young people understand the role of the courts in our democracy and the values that underlie our system of justice.”

“Our young people need to be involved. They need to understand how government works,” he said. “They need to understand the issues a little bit, so they can make their own judgments. And that’s what coming here today encourages them to do. You can listen to the argument, and if you’ve prepared for the argument, you can understand the issues. You can come to your own judgment.

“… The lawyers in the community go out to the classroom and work with the students to teach them about the case. And sometimes, give them the opportunity to argue the case themselves. So they can understand what’s going on when we’re up there on the stage and, in their own mind, create, ‘This is what I would ask. This is what I thought.’ And sometimes, I think they go, ‘I asked that question myself in our own mock argument.’

“I think that empowers them to realize that if you do your homework, your opinions can have validity.”

For more information about the Courts in the Community program, visit www.courts.state.hi.us.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.