Three judges on Colorado’s second-highest court traveled to Boulder on Tuesday to hear oral arguments in real cases and field questions from students about their professional paths, their workload on the Court of Appeals, and their approach to interacting with attorneys.

“Sometimes, I regret my tone. I will admit that I get a little too into it sometimes and lose perspective that the person that’s up here is really nervous and trying to do their best,” said Judge Craig R. Welling. “I’ve been trying to keep that in mind. I think Judge Tow got a note today before our argument that you might want to share.”

“Generally, ‘be nice,'” responded Judge Ted C. Tow III.

“That was a text from his clerk,” added Welling, to laughter.

For 40 years, the Colorado Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals have traveled outside their downtown Denver courthouse to hold oral arguments at other venues as part of the “Courts in the Community” program. A three-judge appellate panel heard two criminal cases in the auditorium of Fairview High School and subsequently engaged in a Q&A with students.

“I do tend to cross-examine and I do kind of get into — unfortunately — too much of attack mode,” said Tow, adding that there are two different views that judges hold about oral arguments.

“Some judges feel like oral argument is the lawyers’ time to kind of bolster what they’ve written in the briefs. I’m of the opinion that that’s my time,” he said. “I have 15 minutes to fill in the holes that I have with questions that I have from reading the briefs. So, I’m gonna get right to the point.”

“When I’m on (a panel) with Ted, I also view that it’s his time,” quipped Welling.

Judge Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov said that by the time the appellate judges interact with the lawyers, they have a similar level of familiarity with the underlying case.

“Sometimes, the lawyers are going on regarding a particular issue that we may have made our minds up on. Not always,” he said. “But when we ask questions, it’s not just to ask questions. It’s certainly not to be mean. We are asking the questions because we need to get those answered to write an opinion.”

Tow, who was a trial judge in Adams County prior to his 2018 appointment to the appellate court, said he appreciated being able to look at someone in his courtroom as he explained why he was making a particular decision. In contrast, the Court of Appeals communicates primarily through its written opinions each Thursday.

“I thought all I cared about was the law ‘puzzle,’ and that’s why I got on the path that I chose,” he said. “I really wish I could do both jobs so that I could also see the people while I’m helping them understand why we’re doing what we’re doing when we impact their lives.”

The judges also explained that the relatively short length of arguments — usually 15 minutes per side — reflects the volume of appeals the court hears. Although most cases do not receive oral arguments, the Court of Appeals issues around 1,700 opinions each year.

“Last year, I think I announced 60 opinions. More than one a week. So, we have a limited time,” said Lipinsky.

“My average is authoring about 75 cases a year in the eight years that I’ve been here,” said Tow. “The Supreme Court, as a whole court, authored 60 cases last year.”

“It’s not a commentary, but you can do the math,” added Welling.

The Supreme Court will travel to Holyoke in April for its own Courts in the Community event.