Albuquerque Public Schools
Judges Bring Constitution to Life for Elementary Students
Justice Michael Vigil and Metro Court Judge Ramon Maestas visit Adobe Acres to teach students about the nation's ‘rule book.’
Fourth- and fifth-graders at Adobe Acres Elementary School had a lot of questions for New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Michael Vigil and Metropolitan Court Judge Ramon Maestas, who were at their school on Wednesday morning to talk about the Constitution and their work as judges.
“Is it hard to figure out cases?” one student asked.
“It depends,” Maestas responded, explaining that some cases are straightforward while others are not.
Another student asked, “What did you learn in middle school? " Maestas said he was really interested in computers and focused on math and music.
“Why do you wear black robes?” another kid interjected. Justice Vigil explained that U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall started the tradition in 1801, symbolizing justice being blind.
“What are the hardest cases?” another student asked.
“People fighting over who owns an animal,” Judge Maestas answered. “Animal disputes are always very stressful. The cases sound very simple, but people’s emotions get involved, and a lot of times in court, that’s not what you want to focus on is emotions. You want to focus on the facts.”
The Adobe Acres event kicked off a series of visits to elementary schools by Albuquerque judges this month to commemorate Constitution Day.
“Constitution Day is always Sept. 17 of every year, and what we’re doing is we’re celebrating that back in 1787, more than 230 years ago, when the leaders of the country at the time drafted, adopted and signed a very important document called the United States Constitution,” Maestas told students.
“What was going on during that time is the United States had separated from the United Kingdom, and they were trying to figure out how to rule the country.”
Vigil and Maestas touched on everything from the “We the People” preamble to the three branches of government and the Bill of Rights, explaining that the document is our country’s rule book.
They shared fun facts, noting that the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world that’s still used, that it’s handwritten and that it’s only four pages – shorter than most chapter books.
They also stressed that judges are regular people and told students that they could also become judges.
“I, too, grew up in the South Valley. I went to Los Padillas Elementary, Polk Middle School, and I graduated from Rio Grande,” Maestas told students. “It’s great to be back in the community. My family still lives out in the South Valley. There are lots of opportunities for you all, and you guys need to look at those and explore them and see what interests you have because you all have the option to do what you want to do.”
After the event, Justice Vigil said he was impressed by how attentive the students were and the questions they asked. He said talking to students about the Constitution is one of his favorite things.
“They need to see that public officials are people, just like they are, and they grew up just like they did, and that they went to school just like they’re doing now,” Vigil said. “And they, too, can aspire to be whatever they want, and if it means being a judge, they can aspire to be a judge or a lawyer, or anything else that they want.”