Indiana Supreme Court Case: Students Perspective

By Mackenzie Rosenau

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, several students attended the Indiana Supreme Court case held at Trine University’s T. Furth Center. Some students had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with staff members of the Supreme Court and experience firsthand what it would be like to hold a position similar to those they witnessed.  

As a member of the HAC Media Team, I had the opportunity to sit in the front row of the case with media members of the Indiana Supreme Court. This allowed myself and other HAC Media members to have a closer glimpse at the court case and experience it in a different way. Before the case, we were able to have conversations with members of the Indiana Supreme Court media and talk about their jobs and what they do. As a result, this also allowed us to observe their personalities and how they act while on the job. In addition to talking with media members of the Indiana Supreme Court, we also met people from other media groups and news stations, which allowed us to have a glimpse into another possible career path.  

Furthermore, several criminal justice students had the opportunity to assist Chief Justices and help out with the court case. Pre-Legal major Elayna Hasty had the opportunity to be the student Bailiff for the court case. “I sat on the stage to the left of the Justices; it was neat to see everything that took place up close. I did get to meet the Justices for a quick moment before the Court was in session,” she stated.   

On top of that, criminal justice major Rex Chapman was one of the greeters for the justices as they arrived on campus. Due to Rex wanting to be a lawyer, he asked several questions to Justice Mark Massa. 

Chapman said, “In talking to Justice Massa, I learned more about law school, about being a prosecutor, and overall general life advice.” Chapman also talked about how relatable the justices were despite their positions of power and “fancy titles.”  

At the end of the case, students were given the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session where they were able to ask questions to the Justices about their life and experience in the field. This gave students the ability to learn about the Justices and know more about them on a personal level. It also released some of the tension in the room from the court case and ended on a more positive note for the audience.  

Overall, this was a great opportunity for students to experience possible future career paths and have their questions answered about the criminal justice field.