State judge speaks at Idaho State University
Nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t name all three branches of government, but they can name The Three Stooges.
Less than half of Americans can’t name even one Supreme Court Justice.
One-fourth of Americans couldn’t say who the U.S. fought in the Revolutionary War.
Those are all statistics from Judge David W. Gratton of the Idaho Court of Appeals. He spoke to Idaho State University students Tuesday about the importance of civic engagement and being an informed member of society.
Gratton told students that at some point in their life, everyone deals with some level of government. He said it’s important for people to be informed. The judge recommended students become more active and aware in their communities.
He also encouraged them to use their political voice, and to have facts to support their views. Gratton said so far at ISU he has been very impressed with the students, especially those studying pre-law.
“They have a great program here,” said Gratton. “The questions that I’ve been asked in the last couple of days have been above what I would have expected. And so it’s been very fun for me to be here. I’m very excited, hopefully someday they’ll invite me back.”
Gratton also walked the students through the different court systems. He explained how they work and how cases progress all the way up to the Supreme Court.
