11 March 2022

ST. LOUIS – A group of St. Louis middle school students got an inside look Friday, March 11 at the decisions and complexities behind a landmark United States Supreme Court case that started just a few miles away.

22nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Katherine Fowler visited with eighth graders in Ms. Hernandez’s social studies class at Compton-Drew ILC Middle School and gave a presentation about the challenge of deciding tough cases.

Prepared by the Supreme Court of Missouri’s civic education committee, Judge Fowler focused on the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier presentation, which examines complex First Amendment, freedom of speech, and censorship issues that arose after a dispute involving a different school.

When a principal concluded that stories about teen pregnancy and divorce should be removed from the school newspaper, student journalists filed suit and set the state for litigation that shaped the constitutional rights of students seeking to invoke the freedom of the press.

“This particular topic is especially relevant today so I really wanted to help these kids understand the varying legal issues that can come up about what you might say, write, or wear when you are or aren’t at school,” Fowler said. “Ms. Hernandez’s students asked really great questions and were fully engaged in the conversation the entire time. I’m grateful for the chance to meet with them and hopeful that we were able to inspire a new generation of lawyers and judges!”

Fowler also took time to answer questions about her career path from law school to attorney to the bench, how you become a judge in the City of St. Louis, and other varying legal topics.

If you are interested in having a judge make a presentation at your school, please contact the civic education committee at Civic.Education@courts.mo.gov. Presentations are available for both in-person and virtual learning environments.

(Article, by 22nd circuit Chief Communications Officer Jacob Long, originally published on the St. Louis city circuit court's news blog.)