WASHINGTON – As the days of the 2023-24 school year drew to a close, Carmel High School Social Studies teacher Susan Tornatore had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when the veteran educator joined others from around the United States by attending a session of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
During the day when Tornatore visited the high court three decisions were reached by the panel of judges.
On Tuesday, Tornatore expressed amazement at the “surprisingly small” courtroom that “wasn’t much bigger than Casey Hall at Carmel High. If you argue a case in front of the justices, you stand a mere 10 feet from the bench. As an observer I was about 50 feet away and you could hear a pin drop. Justice Kavanaugh read the decision on the abortion drug mifepristone, in which they determined 9-0, that the petitioners had ‘no standing’ meaning they had no legal right to sue.”
During the same session, Justice Thomas read decisions on the Starbucks Corp. V. McKinney and Vidal v. Elster.
“In a rare moment of levity, Thomas made a joke about his ability ‘to create consensus’ amongst the justices since both decisions were unanimous,” she said.
Tornatore described the experience as “one of the best professional development events I’ve ever attended. I have very usable resources and techniques to bring to the classroom allowing us to incorporate the new unit in our studies making the SCOTUS more relevant to Carmel students.”
