News Item
REMINDER: Supreme Court to hold oral arguments, community dinner in Alexandria next week
Posted: Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Minnesota Supreme Court will visit Alexandria next week as part of a program that seeks to teach students about the court system and build the public’s trust and confidence in the judiciary.
During its visit, the Supreme Court will hold a community dinner in the commons of Alexandria Area High School on Wednesday, October 4. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., and will feature a short program with members of the Supreme Court beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. Nearly 200 area residents have purchased tickets for the event. Ticket sales for the dinner have now concluded.
On the morning of Thursday, October 5, the state’s highest court will convene in the performing arts center of Alexandria Area High School to hear oral arguments in a real court case in front of hundreds of students. Members of the Court will hold a brief media availability at 11:25 a.m. in the performing arts center at the conclusion of the morning program. The program will begin in the performing arts center at 9:15 a.m., with oral arguments beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The Court will hear oral arguments in
State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Erik John Heinonen, Appellant (Case No. A16-0229).
Summary of issues for the case
Following oral arguments, the Supreme Court justices will hold a question-and-answer session with students, share lunch with student representatives, and spend the afternoon visiting classrooms.
Media are invited to attend and use recording equipment at both events. Using of recording equipment during Supreme Court oral arguments is governed by Minnesota Rules of Court.
Please note that, by rule, members of the media must provide 24 hours’ notice if they intend to use recording equipment during oral arguments.
The attached media resource guide provides a detailed schedule for both events, address and parking information, information about the use of recording equipment during oral arguments, and other event details.
Since the Supreme Court convened oral arguments in Rochester, Minn., in 1995, school visits have taken center stage in the Court’s public outreach and education efforts. The Alexandria event will mark the 44
th in-school oral argument for the Court.
“My fellow justices and I are looking forward to our upcoming visit to Alexandria, and having the opportunity to engage with students and community members about our remarkable justice system in Minnesota,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea.
Members of the public who wish to view the oral arguments and the question-and-answer session may do so live in three ways:
- www.alexandria.k12.mn.us/aahs - Via the Alexandria Area High School website. Visitors should scroll to the Live Stream link on the main page.
- Channel 181 in Alexandria – Live broadcast on Alexandria Community Television, the local charter cable TV station.
- https://alexandria.viebit.com/ - Via the Alexandria Community Television website. Visitors should click on the live stream link at the top left corner of the webpage.