Buckeye Local High School will host the latest edition of Off-Site Court.

Buckeye Local High School will host the latest edition of Off-Site Court.

The Supreme Court of Ohio will hold oral arguments in eastern Ohio this week as part of a traveling civic education program for students.

The Off-Site Court Program will be held in Jefferson County for the first time on Wednesday, with the justices hearing three cases at Buckeye Local High School in Rayland. The school, which sits less than three miles from the West Virginia border, will host approximately 425 high school and homeschooled students from Jefferson and Harrison counties. The schools include Edison, Harrison Central, Indian Creek, Steubenville, Toronto, Jefferson County Christian School, Jefferson County Joint Vocational School, and home-schooled students through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center.

Teachers and students prepare ahead of time for the visit and study the facts and arguments in the case they will hear during the Court’s session. Local attorneys also assist, working with educators at each school before the event to explain Ohio’s judicial system and discuss the materials.

“Civic education is becoming more limited in many schools, especially when discussing how courts operate. Events like this can be an opportunity for students to get that exposure and become interested in the legal profession,” said Perry County Municipal Judge Dean Wilson.

Perry County hosted Off-Site Court 20 years ago. Judge Wilson said it led several students who attended to become attorneys.

Before the Court session, the justices meet with a group of students to explain their work at the Court and for the state’s judicial system. After listening to arguments, each student group exits the makeshift courtroom to meet with the attorneys who argued the case for a debrief, where students can share their thoughts and questions.

The chance to critically think about an issue and learn from people who hear and argue cases can be career-shaping. Judge Wilson can personally attest to that. Decades ago, he contemplated his future after college. He was on a different path when he had a conversation with a friend who became a lawyer. Not long after, Judge Wilson started law school.

“Listening to the people who practice law and seeing how they go about their work is such a unique opportunity for so many young people,” said Judge Wilson, who conducts an annual jury trial experience for youth that is similar to Off-Site Court. “It's important that we as a judiciary get involved with the education of our students.”

Oral arguments will begin 9 a.m, and be streamed live online at sc.ohio.gov and broadcast live on the Ohio Channel, which also archives them.

The Court’s Office of Public Information released preview articles about the three cases.

Since Off-Site Court began in 1987, over 43,000 Ohioans have participated in Off-Site Court, including more than 34,000 students. The visit to Jefferson County will be the 82nd edition of the program, with the event having now reached 73 of Ohio’s 88 counties.