Law Class Gets Served

Irene Morgan

A pack of cocaine may lead to a deal, but then into a crime that will make their life feel unreal. If you have possession or intention to sell cocaine you can go to jail up to 4-15 years with a fine of $250,000 just for 1-15 grams of cocaine in the state of Illinois. In Illinois a court case was held for two men on cocaine charges, and the Intro to Law class was able to go sit and watch the case thanks to a generous woman, Denise Lameyer, who set it up for them.

The court case was held in the federal court house of East St. Louis. Mr. Eddy, the teacher of the class, was interviewed and asked how it was compared to other court cases, but surprisingly he said, “This was actually my first court case I have been to.” It was also a very first for all 15 students that went on the trip. One of those students was Noah Starr, and we asked what scared him during the hearing, he replied, “What scared me was when the guy being sentenced turned around and told the class to not be like him.” That was not the only moment the man talked to the class.

Towards the end of the hearing the class got to ask as many questions to the man about his case. They have learned that one out of the two men had never met his father and his mother had died when he was eight. He was given to his aunt, but the aunt had given him up to foster care until eighteen. That was when he started to deal cocaine to make money for him.

These tragic moments have led him up to this court case which has put him in 12 years of jail. The other man he was not allowed to even touch or say goodbye to his child before he went to jail for 12 years. The class was very interested in everything that happened in the court and learned many things just by seeing how the court sentencing worked.

When asked, Brian Pettiford, commented, “I have learned that different judges take different procedures on how to deal with each case.” Another student, Amanda Surmier, was asked why she chose to go into Intro to Law and experience this court case, she replied, “I wanted to go into this class, because I want to be a lawyer and I just love researching the stories of the criminals.” Everyone had a certain interest on this trip, but each interest sparked a new insight on life. No one left the court room without learning something new, but they learned that the court room can be a scary place, so beware if you ever get served.