by Andy Zlotnick
On Tuesday evening, July 13, a small group of Boy Scouts from Troop 222 in Petersburgh had an opportunity to see how government works by visiting a town court and seeing real live cases being brought before the court. The Scouts are working on the “Citizenship in the Community” Merit Badge, an Eagle Scout required Badge. [private]The Scouts, Fred Adrion, CJ Bortnick and Joshua Zlotnick, arrived at the Petersburgh Town Hall early to discuss proper etiquette while in court and to go over the requirements for their Merit Badge.
Justices Paul Montgomery and Amy Manchester held court that night with a very light schedule of cases being brought before the Court. The Scouts learned that it takes a lot of paperwork to file a claim in court and that you should be sure you have all of your paperwork in order when you present it to the court. They listened to a Claim of Eviction, and they heard charges in a Vehicle and Traffic Law Claim (a traffic ticket).
After the cases were heard and the Court was adjourned, the boys listened to Town Justice Amy Manchester answer questions about court:
• What happens to the people who don’t show up for their court date? Justice Manchester said she tries to give them a chance but that they would be in court the next time.
• How long have you been a judge? “A few months and I’m still learning the ropes.”
• Why are the cases you see important to our Town? “Well, the Traffic laws are important because they make you safer. We see a few DWI cases (Driving While Intoxicated), and it’s important to get them off the road so that they don’t cause accidents or kill someone like you.”
Afterwards the boys shook hands with the Justice and thanked her for allowing them to come to the court. On the way out the boys noticed the old maps and pictures of Petersburgh which started another discussion, but that’s for another time.
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