Submitted by San Juan County.

On May 1, San Juan County Superior and District courts invited seventh-grade students across the county to participate in their second annual Law Day celebration. Sixty-five students from Friday Harbor and Orcas Island visited the courthouse and participated in a host of law-themed activities including a mock trial, career panel, civics lessons, games and tours.

“Law Day is educational, but it’s also about having fun,” said District Court Judge Carolyn Jewett-Platts. “Kids are used to thinking of government as something very big and abstract, so we want them to get up close and personal.”

Law Day, held nationally on May 1, is an annual day set aside to celebrate the rule of law in the United States. Law Day was initially conceived by the American Bar Association in 1957 as an opportunity to celebrate how our law and legal process protect our liberty and contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share. In 1961, the United States Congress designated May 1 as the official date of Law Day.

Today, many courts across the country celebrate Law Day by hosting programming for students on a date in May, with a wide variety of activities, lessons and themes. In anticipation of the San Juan County Courts’ celebration, the San Juan County Council signed a proclamation declaring May 1, 2025, as our County Law Day this year.

“We give students a chance to meet people who work in the legal system, and we hope they’ll make connections now that will follow them into adulthood,” said Jewett-Platts. “Starting a career in the law doesn’t seem so intimidating when you’ve met the ordinary people who do it every day.”

Students arrived at the courthouse starting at 9 a.m. and rotated through activity stations throughout the County Courthouse and Legislative Building.

In the Superior Court courtroom, students received a civics lesson from Superior Court Services Director Linnea Anderson and played legal-themed games.

In the District Court courtroom, Jewett-Platts led students through a scripted mock trial, with Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mason Wiley and attorneys Shawn Alexander, Justin Campbell and Lawrence Delay assisting the mock litigants.

Outside in the parking lot, students got an up-close tour of a Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle, a San Juan EMS emergency response vehicle and a fire engine from San Juan Fire and Rescue.

Across the street at the Legislative Hearing Room, Parks and Fair Director Brandon Andrews moderated a career panel where students asked questions of County Councilmember Justin Paulsen, Elections Manager Camolyn Armstrong and Senior Deputy Civil Prosecutor Jonathan Cain.

Along the way, groups of students were led by tour guides who pointed out the many departments housed in the Courthouse.

“This program is only possible because of our volunteers,” said Jewett-Platts. “So many County departments, private attorneys, and island residents donated their time and efforts to make Law Day happen. We had such a wonderful time meeting all these students, and we’re looking forward to how we’ll build on it next year.”