CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Students from across the state coming together to celebrate Law Day while also being awarded for their work that they submitted for the Law Day contest.

Justice Bill Wooton

Law Day was established in 1958 to celebrate the Rule of Law and help those gain a better understanding of the legal system and is celebrated on May first every year.

In celebration of this day the West Virginia State Bar’s Women in the Profession Committee began the Law Day contest. The fourth annual Law Day awards ceremony was held Thursday afternoon to award students for their work in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol. The contest began back in 2021 to allow K-12 to submit either digital art or a poster, write an essay or poem, or write an original song and perform it.

During the ceremony, awards were given out to students from elementary K-5, middle 6-8, and high school 9-12 across all three medians.

Chief Justice Bill Wooton says that Law Day and the contest gives kids the chance to celebrate the Constitution.

“Our laws are based on our constitution and this event that you are participating in celebrates the Constitution,” Wooton said.

The theme for the contest was “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One” which is adopted from the WV State Bar each year.

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Bridget Cohee, says that the work that the students did this year really reflect that theme of “Out of Many, One.”

“That speaks to each one of as American’s, because whether were native American’s born here or whether our families came from many different places, through many different generations, we’re all one united nation,” Cohee said.

Each of the justices took turns announcing the winners from the different grade levels. There were three overall winners in each category along who won Best in Show through all medians.

Justice Haley Bunn, before reading the three students names who won overall, said that she remembers the first time that she was a part of a Law Day awards ceremony was in 2022, three days after she was sworn in, during COVID when they couldn’t have an in-face ceremony.

She says it’s amazing that the supreme court allows children to be involved in something like this, but it’s also amazing to see the kids be excited about and submit work.

Justice Haley Bunn

“How special, that you as the young folks and the teachers involved, recognize the beauty of the rule of law and you don’t think that that’s boring or just extra work, that you really recognize that it’s worthwhile to study and learn about the foundation of our democracy,” Bunn said.

Justice Tim Armstead read the names for the winners in high school. He says that this is such an important event because he wants this to serve as an inspiration to young kids if they want to one day be in politics.

“It’s exciting to see young people here because we always hope that through events like this, that you’re inspired for being here in the court and being in the capitol to maybe someday some of you will be sitting in these seats and be judges or legislators in the capitol,” he said.

The ceremony ended with some students who presenting their poem or signing their original song they wrote.

Photo: J. Alex Wilson – Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia