Some of the state's most powerful judges are taking their courtroom on the road, and Tuesday they came to Scranton.
Judges who handle court appeals in Pennsylvania heard arguments from lawyers, not in a courtroom, but in an auditorium.
With a stage and hundreds of seats instead of a bench and a jury, the lengthy legal proceedings became a performance at Lackawanna College in Scranton.
Three judges from the Pennsylvania Superior Court are hearing arguments from dozens of attorneys about dozens of cases from our area that are up for appeal. The judges will then take the information and decide if the verdict should be reversed.
"When we all decide, or the majority of us decide that it is the correct way, then it is a finished product," said Judge Sallie Updyke Mundy.
The judges said because of all the legalese, these cases don't garner the same amount of public attention as a high profile trial, but by opening up the courtroom, the judges hope to make their work more accessible.
"We are an appellate court. We don't have the excitement of trial court with the witnesses, we just want everyone to understand what we do," said Judge Correale Stevens.
Superior Court judges will hear arguments from all over the state at places like Lackawanna College. Not only to make it more convenient for the attorneys, but also as a learning tool.
Cadets from the Lackawanna College Police Academy watched what could be a real life experience for them in the future and members of high school mock trial teams from Luzerne County made the trip to see courts in real life.
"I've definitely heard some things with cases that I recognize, and it's been kinda cool to pick up things I didn't know before I started the academy," said Cadet Kate Eischler.
"It's exciting to see how real attorneys work in a real life situation and see how some of the rules of the court apply differently in these situations than the ones we encounter in mock trial. I've enjoyed it a lot," said Hazleton Area High School student Benjamin Zboray.
Superior Court judges will hear arguments in Lackawanna County through Wednesday.
