The Supreme Court of South Carolina

JEAN HOEFER TOAL
CHIEF JUSTICE
 
POST OFFICE DRAWER 12456
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA 29211
TELEPHONE: (803) 734-1584
FAX: (803) 734-1167

MEMORANDUM

TO:
Middle School and High School Teachers
FROM:
Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal
RE: Educational Resources

The Class Action Program

This program is designed to bring middle school and high school students to the Supreme Court to hear oral argument. Afterwards, the Court meets with the students for approximately 30 minutes to talk about law-related issues of interest and to answer questions. The Justices do not, however, discuss cases pending before the Court. The students also have an opportunity to interact with the lawyers arguing the case.

All participating schools will be sent a packet of materials prior to their scheduled visit. This packet includes information about the Court, a synopsis of the case that will be heard in oral argument and other law-related information. You may wish to contact lawyers and circuit court judges in your area to help prepare your class in advance for the visit. It is important that the students be prepared for their visit, especially for the question and answer session with the Justices, in order to get the most out of this opportunity.

If you are interested, a staff member will be available to take your class on a tour of the Supreme Court Building following the question and answer session with the Justices. These tours can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on any time constraints your class may have as well as interest level.

Because the Court is located across the street from the State House and the Capitol Complex and is near other attractions, you may want to make this a daylong event and visit other places in the capitol city. If the Legislature is in session, you may want to consider visiting your legislator during your time in Columbia. You can also arrange for a tour of the State House by calling (803) 734-2430.

The following dates are available for visits:

2012

September 19
October 3
October 31
December 5

2013

January 9
February 6
March 20
April 3
May 1

All Class Action Program arguments are scheduled for 10:30.

If you would like to take part in this program, you can request a reservation form by contacting Betsy Goodale at (803) 734-1160 or bgoodale@sccourts.org. The reservation request form should be completed and mailed to the Court. Please be sure to indicate whether you would like a tour of the building following oral argument. You will receive a confirmation letter informing you of the session for which your class has been scheduled as well as other important information about your visit.

If you have any additional questions about these programs, please contact Betsy Goodale at (803) 734-1160 or bgoodale@sccourts.org. or Betsy Stevenson at (803) 734-1080 or bstevenson@sccourts.org.

We are excited about this program and hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity to bring your class to Court!