Solicitor General of the United States Visits 8th Graders

The students’ questions included What was your hardest case ever? Have you ever had to argue a case against something you thought was right? How do you think partisan news outlets and fake news have affected individual rights and liberties? How do you balance working so hard with spending time with your family? One of the last exchanges put the morning’s conversation in perspective. When a student asked, “Have you ever had a case before the Supreme Court that made you nervous?” the Solicitor General openly replied, “I’m nervous about all of them. Things that get to the Supreme Court have a big impact…. You are setting the standard for a lot of people.” For the students who have been exploring case studies and debating the law in class, the visit was a unique opportunity to not only learn more about thorny constitutional questions, the art of legal argument, and the Supreme Court, but gain insight into the life, responsibilities, and outlook of the third highest-ranking official in the US Department of Justice.