Court competition invites students to administer justice

NordenBladet — From today until 10 November, students in Grades 9 to 12 will have the chance to take on the role of a Justice Administrator and to solve cases like those that judges must address on a daily basis.

The participants in the competition will have three cases to choose from – they will be presented with examples of criminal, civil and administrative law. Among other matters, the students can provide solutions to questions such as: “Whether and to what extent should a person adopt the local customs and traditions when they move to Estonia?” and “When should citizens be allowed to deviate from traffic regulations?”

“On the one hand, the results of the court competition will give the judiciary an idea of how the youth of today perceive and understand the process of the administration of justice and the court’s role in this. On the other hand, it will create an opportunity for the participants to test themselves and feel what it is like to be placed in the role of a judge, who has the obligation and the responsibility to decide who is right,” said Nele Parrest, Justice of the Supreme Court and Chairwoman of the Jury in this year’s court competition. “It would be particularly nice if some of the participants came to realise that this is the work they want to do in the future,” she added.

The case must be solved in a similar manner as it is done in court: the arguments of both sides are first presented, followed by the decision and reasoning of the judge. There is also another option – the case may be solved in a creative form, such as through the use of an essay, poem, drawing, video, etc. In either case, it is important that the solution is derived from the sense of justice and the value judgments of the participants. The Supreme Court expects to receive the solutions of the cases by 10 November. For more information about the terms and conditions of the competition, click here (in Estonian).

The three students with the best entries from each age group and their supervisors, as well as the students nominated in the creative category and their supervisors, will be invited to visit Tartu on 12 January 2018, where they will receive an award from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This year’s competition is dedicated to the 98th Anniversary of the Supreme Court and will take place for the thirteenth time; while entries will be submitted in the creative category for the fourth year. The competition forms a part of Administration of Justice Week.

Source: Riigikohus.ee
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