The Supreme Court of South Carolina

MEMORANDUM

The Class Action Program

The Class Action Program is designed to bring middle school and high school students to the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments and interact with the Justices and attorneys involved with the case.  Following the argument, the Justices and the attorneys who argued the case meet with students for approximately 20 to 30 minutes to discuss law-related issues and answer questions.  The Justices do not, however, discuss cases pending before the Court. 

Participating schools will be sent a packet of materials prior to their scheduled visit that includes information about the Court, the briefs of the parties involved in the case that will be heard at oral argument, and other law-related information.  You may wish to contact local attorneys and/or judges in your area to help prepare your class for their visit.  In order to get the most out of this opportunity, it is important that the students be prepared, especially for the question and answer session with the Justices.

If you are interested, a staff member will be available to take your class on a tour of the Supreme Court Building following the question and answer session with the Justices.  These tours can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on any time constraints your class may have as well as interest level.

The following dates are available for Class Action Program visits:

2024
January 10
February 7
March 27
April 17
May 22
June 19
September 11
October 30
November 13
December 11

All Class Action Program arguments are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. 

Reservations

If you would like to take part in the program, you may request a reservation by contacting Elizabeth Leverette at (803) 734-1080 or eleverette@sccourts.org. Please indicate the number of students, faculty, and staff you anticipate bringing and whether you would like a tour of the building following oral argument. 

Please note: reservations are made on a first come, first serve basis and the above dates may be unavailable due to prior reservations.

Additional Information

If you have any additional questions about these programs, please contact Elizabeth Leverette at (803) 734-1080 or eleverette@sccourts.org.

Because the Court is located across the street from the State House and the Capitol Complex, you may want to make this a daylong event and visit other places in the capital city.  If the Legislature is in session, you may want to consider visiting your legislator during your time in Columbia.  You can arrange for a tour of the State House by calling (803) 734-2430.

We are excited about this program and hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to bring your class to the Supreme Court!