A Legal and Cultural Exchange: A Visit to the Dominican Republic Supreme Court
December 1, 2013 by kshircliff
Although the Gonzaga Law Mission: Possible group is focused on serving the University’s mission of community service, the Mission: Possible Board is continuously looking for ways to tie legal education into its international trip. The 2012- 2013 group was fortunate to have the opportunity to not only tour the Dominican Republic Supreme Court, but also to have both the Chief Justice’s (English speaking) clerk give the tour and the opportunity to meet and talk with one of the Justices.
MP Members spend time with the Court of Appeals Justice
After a very tearful and emotional good-bye from our host families in Altagracia, the group traveled 45 minutes by bus to the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo. With the exception of the Constitutional Court, all of the various levels of court houses and court systems are housed under one very large roof. The group had the opportunity to see several of the different courtrooms and different divisions, including the Supreme Courtroom, the Labor division and the Criminal Division Courtroom. One of the highlights of each of the different courtrooms was the beautiful murals that were the backsplash to every courtroom. Each mural represented different issues or representations specific to the courtroom for which it was placed.
The Mural in the Civil and Commercial Courtroom
The group was especially fortunate that one of the Justices was able to spare a few minutes to talk with the group. After a few minutes of Spanish, the group was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Justice had studied in Oregon and he was excited to practice his “rusty” English.
The visit to the Dominican Republic was more than just a chance to see a foreign Supreme Courtroom. It was an invaluable opportunity to hear the personal experiences about life in the Dominican Republic, experiences as a law student, and being a female clerk for a Supreme Court Justice from a current Supreme Court Justice Clerk. It also gave the group a chance to hear about legal issues facing the country, hopes the country hoped to achieve, and open a dialogue about legal issues facing young attorneys in the United States also.
The 2013- 2014 Mission: Possible is hoping to add a visit to a local law school to the agenda in order to open up additional dialogue between law students from the United States and current law students from the Dominican Republic.
