Some Scouts traded class time for courtroom time Wednesday in Allegheny Township.
About 15 co-ed Scouts from Troops 501, 501G, 111 and 121 spent three hours observing civil and criminal hearings conducted in District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec’s courtroom.
“This is my first time in a courtroom,” said Eli Booth, 12, of Plum. “It seems very interesting.”
Participating Scouts were from troops based in Lower Burrell, Plum and Allegheny Township.
Attending a session of civil or criminal court is one of the requirement for Scouts working toward earning a Law Merit Badge.
The Law Merit Badge allows Scouts to learn about law, its process and careers in the field. Merit badges give Scouts opportunities to learn about 130 areas of skills and knowledge.
“It’s more laid back than I thought. The judge seems trusting and forgiving,” Stormy Krall, 15, said. “I’ve always been interested in law and may consider it for a career.”
The Scouts participated in a question-and-answer session before Yakopec took to the bench. She handed cases that included a criminal case involving a man arraigned for marijuana possession and a civil case involving unlawful control of a dog, and there were multiple traffic violations. They also saw a new police officer from New Kensington be sworn in.
“It’s a little weird seeing someone in handcuffs. I’m taking a lot of notes,” said Kira Long, a 10th grader at Kiski Area High School. “It would be hard to be a judge. I thought she would send him back to jail.”
The defendant was ordered to appear at another hearing and released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
Yakopec discussed many aspects of legal proceedings, including rules and protocol in her courtroom, explaining arraignments, courtroom proceedings, general procedures and the differences between civil and criminal cases.
Participating Scouts were ages 11 to 17. Each had to fill out an eight-page law workbook.
Scoutmaster Glen Long said the Scouts were excited to witness a real judge in action.
“This isn’t television,” Long said. “They get to see what it’s really like, and what type of cases a judge has to deal with.”
Scoutmaster Karen Krall agreed.
“They’re going to have a better understanding of how our legal system works,” Krall said. “It’s new to most of them. They’re listening and taking it all in.”
Jacob Taylor of Lower Burrell proudly showed off his Law Merit Badge.
“I earned it last year. I came today to help and support my troop,” Jacob said. “Last year, I sat in a courtroom and saw traffic violations. It would be hard to be a judge and decide. It makes me think about how laws are made and their importance.”
