Trip to the Courthouse

In our Grade 11 law class, “Understanding Canadian Law,” we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Ontario Justice Education Network to arrange a visit with an Ontario judge and spend time observing the proceedings at an Ontario Court of Justice. Taking students out of the classroom is an excellent way to enrich the learning that occurs within it. We asked one of our students, Meah Scher, to share a little of her experience with the NCC community. Here is what she had to say: 

For the Law 11 course, our teacher, Mr. Lauchlan, took us to the Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines.  For me, this trip was fascinating because I had never been in a courthouse, let alone sat in on a trial. We had the opportunity to see bail postings as well as other court proceedings. It was the bail postings that stuck out most to me since we heard what the accused was charged with and the conditions set for their release. We were sometimes surprised at how light these conditions seemed. As we have continued with our studies, this has helped me have a sense of what these procedures looked like. 

We also had the amazing opportunity to speak directly to a judge and ask him questions. I wish I had asked more about the process he goes through when deciding a sentence; though, we still got insight on a lot about what it’s like to be a judge. Something that surprised me as I was there was the formality of the courthouse, but then also the informality of it.  The lawyers and the judge would engage conversationally on pragmatic questions like scheduling, but within the informal conversation, the lawyers would still call the judge “Your Worship” or “Your Honour”. It was interesting to watch the back and forth. 

This trip also gave me a lot of insight into the cases we have studied; often I will see the dates of when the trial starts and ends, and sometimes they’ll be a year apart.  Now, having gone to the courthouse and seeing all the procedures that need to be followed, I better understand the time it takes. 

Overall, it was an incredible opportunity to go on this trip and expand my understanding of trials, lawyers, and judges.