We learned about the underlying principles that guide Justices on the bench—from federalism to the doctrine of stare decisis—and focused on the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause. A few weeks ago, we took a field trip to the Moakley Courthouse in Boston where we met with a federal judge and the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. 

Finally, we finished off the term with a mock court of our own. Our hypothetical case had to do with legalizing polygamy. It implicated many of the cases we learned about this term, like Roe v. Wade. As a lawyer, I have been working with two colleagues for the past week—researching, drafting, and editing a brief. We claimed that our fundamental right to privacy encompasses plural marriages. This morning we held the oral argument. Teachers let their students out of class so they could watch us and our opposition attempt to deliver our arguments while the justices (six of the kids in the class) berated us with searing questions. It was an amazing experience. This class and the guidance of my teacher, Mr. Lyons, has inspired me. I want to go to law school, and I dream of sitting on the bench myself one day.