Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School visits Wisconsin Supreme Court

Madison, Wisconsin - December 1, 1999

Eighty students from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School will travel to Madison today to watch Supreme Court oral arguments at 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. and meet with Justice William A. Bablitch over the noon hour. The exercise is made possible by a program called Court with Class, which is sponsored by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Half the students will watch an appeal from Racine County Circuit Court in which the Supreme Court will harmonize conflicting Wisconsin case law on whether judgments docketed against homestead owners become a lien on the homestead property when the owner sells it. The other half of the group will watch an appeal from Sheboygan County Circuit Court in which the Supreme Court will decide whether uninsured motorist coverage covers a policyholder when an object of unknown origin hits the person's vehicle.

After the two, one-hour hearings, the class will meet with Bablitch for a civics lesson and a question and answer session.

Court with Class has won two national awards since its inception three years ago. The program's aim is to enrich the high school civics curriculum by bringing high school students from around the state to watch a Supreme Court hearing and meet with a justice. Prior to the field trips, teachers receive a variety of teaching materials from the Supreme Court and the State Bar of Wisconsin.

The program brings a total of approximately 1,000 high school students to the Supreme Court during each Court term (September - June).

For more information contact:
Amanda Todd
Court Information Officer
(608) 264-6256

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