Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared before students from eight rural schools on Thursday to hear a pair of cases, field questions, and mark the first time the state’s newest justice participated in the long-running program.

“I had such a unique opportunity to get to work with so many people in my career. And making the decision to apply to the Supreme Court was a hard decision for me, in that now I’m taking one more step away from being in a courtroom with people all the time,” said Justice Susan Blanco, who is in her sixth week on the court.

The court visited Holyoke Junior/Senior High School as part of the “Courts in the Community” initiative, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Multiple times per year, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals travel outside their downtown Denver courthouses to hear oral arguments in real cases, usually in front of an audience of high school students.

The Holyoke students were joined by their peers from seven other schools throughout the 13th Judicial District, which encompasses seven counties in northeastern Colorado. Students from Peetz and Otis traveled the furthest to attend, from roughly 70 miles away.

Among other things, the justices described their paths to their current roles. Blanco spoke about being a lawyer, then a trial judge, and finally a justice.

“Every step, you’re like a little bit more removed from working with people, which was hard for me because I love working with people,” she said. “But the impact of the decisions this court makes was very compelling to me.”

Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez said she was at the same private law firm with Justice Richard L. Gabriel at the beginning of her career.

“I worked with Justice Gabriel when I was a young associate,” she said. “He edited the you-know-what out of everything I wrote.”

“Still do,” said Gabriel, to laughter.

In response to a question about the decision-writing process, Márquez said she assigns the majority opinions to the person who can best capture the court’s view.

“Your job is to write the group’s decision, not your decision,” she said.

Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter said she was initially surprised at how much time the entire process takes.

“I’ll use Speechify, and after I’ve read the briefs, I’ll also go and listen to the briefs. It can be really time-consuming,” she said.

One student asked what career the justices would have chosen if they had gone in a different direction. Most of them responded that they would not change anything.

“I wish I had spent time in the military, actually. My dad spent time in the Air Force,” said Márquez. “It wasn’t really an option for me because at the time, it was outright barred to be gay in the military under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.'”

The students also interacted with the attorneys who argued the cases, one of which was a criminal appeal and the other involved a negligence lawsuit against a ski resort operator.

Responding to a question about whether there are any types of cases the lawyers would not take, former Adams County prosecutor Todd Bluth said there probably are, but he generally does not find himself forced to compromise on his values.

“As an attorney, you have to be open to understanding other people’s points of view,” he said. “This is an industry where you can be yourself, hold true values, and abide by your true convictions.”

Attorney Yun Wang, who has civil and criminal defense experience, said there is one type of client he will not represent on principle.

“I will not defend organized human traffickers,” he said. “I find that whole process disgusting.”

Attorney Trenton J. Ongert said he typically gets to choose his cases, ensuring his morals and values align with his work.

“There are a few times where the facts change, we find out something new about the case, and we have a candid conversation with our clients,” he said. “If we see moral issues, the jury certainly would.”

“I agree with that. I think it’s very important,” said Michael J. Hofmann, who argued opposite Onglert. “I think it’s important for the lawyer to think the client is doing the right thing. And if we think you’re not, to tell the client.”

Lori Nelson, the school’s business education teacher, said she heard about Courts in the Community through one of the district’s trial judges. It took around five years from the initial idea to the Supreme Court’s visit becoming a reality.

“The biggest thing for me with them being here is all of the planning that goes into having them come out,” Nelson said. “And all of the setup and the rooms and just the details and specifics. And how much our principal had to do to be able to hold this here.”

“I think it was interesting to get all the information about the case to see how it actually goes down in the Supreme Court,” said Cozner Ring, a senior.

Mason Sprague, also a senior, said he was surprised by how frequently the justices asked questions during the first set of arguments.

“We went over the cases and common things they would cover,” he said. “I don’t have a strong opinion on either, but I think it’s interesting to see how both sides go at each other.”