Oregon Court of Appeals visits Ridgeview High School in Redmond to hold oral arguments and answer student questions

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- On Thursday at Ridgeview High School in Redmond, three judges from the Oregon Court of Appeals paid a visit to hold oral arguments and answer questions from students about the work of the judicial branch.

It's part of an ongoing program where the court travels to schools across the state, allowing students to see Court of Appeals arguments firsthand while learning about the role of the courts and related careers.

"It's huge to have the Oregon Court of Appeals decide that they want to come and do this in front of about 400 students. That (the students) get to see how it works, because I'm of the mind that a lot of people really don't understand the appeals process and how that functions. And so the kids get to watch it and they get to ask questions and all the things that you want them to do to learn about how the judicial branch works," said Susan Kernutt, a social studies teacher at the school and one of the organizers of the days events. "I want them to feel like they want to be more involved in our democracy and understand how the government works, and so they can talk about it with other people and be more civic-minded… I'm just really stoked to do this today."

Earlier this month, the court heard oral arguments at Lakeview High School in Lakeview. It also visited schools in Portland and Corvallis this year.