AMES, Iowa – Given the chance to tour the Iowa Judicial Branch Building, 4-H'ers from four counties now realize that history is not confined to their middle and high school classrooms. As part of the Iowa 4-H  Day at the Legislature March 26, 43 youth and adults toured the building, met a current justice and learned about the highest court system in Iowa and the cases that have shaped current laws and government today.

Justice Mark S. Cady spoke to delegates about the rules of the Supreme Court, how a case gains the privilege to be heard there and important Iowa cases that paved the way for change. One of the cases mentioned was Arabella Mansfield’s. As a women’s activist, she passed the Iowa bar exam in 1869 and was granted the right by the Iowa Supreme Court to become the first female lawyer in the United States.

“After seeing where we’ve come from and studying past events, we sometimes wonder ‘why did we think that way?’” said Justice Mark S. Cady. “History is important though. We can learn a lot by looking back as we forge ahead.” The students realized that and also learned more about the building that houses those monumental cases.

“A lot of what I learned was like history class,” said Acacia Stonehocker, Clarke County. “The designs of the building were also really interesting.”

Started seven years ago, the building took two years to build and is designed to last 150 years. Marble imported from Italy and Pakistan during the peak of the United States’ conflict with Afghanistan is arranged in a geometric pattern on the first floor. The outside walls are sound proof to even fire trucks, and 43 miles of wiring connect the court with the latest up-to-date technology systems. Also, there are paintings preserved from the 1904 fire in the Capitol that hang throughout the building.

Justice Cady also emphasized to the youth the service of the Supreme Court. While a case must be a valid personal grievance against one’s rights, the court stands as a place to uphold justice to the people, not enforce laws.

“In here our laws are not created by elected officials,” Cady said. “They are created in here by people like you. Every case is about an event in someone’s life.” Recognizing the commitment of the justices to the people of Iowa, many 4-H'ers came away with an appreciation of their role and the work involved.

“I learned a lot, but I wouldn’t want to be a justice. It takes a lot of time and dedication,” said Clarke County 4-H'er Sarah Cutshall.

Other 4-Hers got a chance to tour the Capitol itself. Many were also able to interact with their legislators and learn more about their jobs, such as Hamilton County youth who sat in on a few minutes of discussion among the Senate’s Agriculture Committee members.

“It was neat to watch them go through the different bills so fast,” said adult chaperone Donna Ryherd. They also met their senator Rich Olive afterwards, who took some time to explain the differences between the Senate and House of Representatives and show them around the assembly room. Personably, he laughed with them about being more important than he thought.

“The third day that I was a senator, I wore my nametag because I didn’t have any idea who the others were and assumed they didn’t know me,” Olive said. “Then I was told, ‘Take it off. Senators don’t wear nametags. People are expected to know who you are.’”

Outside of the assembly halls, 4-H'ers got a chance to share with legislators their projects, as counties set up displays in the rotunda and were given time during the day to showcase them. The personal connection with the legislators is what some 4-H'ers appreciated the most.

"I would come again (to Legislative Day). You learn a lot more by coming here through 4-H," said Hamilton County 4-H'er Nicole Heinrichs. "It's nice to see everything firsthand because we're a small group."

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