Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady thanks Decorah residents for welcoming the Supreme Court

(The following Letter to the Editor has been sent to decorahnews.com by Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady):

On behalf of all of the justices of the Iowa Supreme Court, I would like to thank the Decorah Community for the warm welcome we received during our visit to hold court at Decorah High School on the evening of April 8th.  We were pleased that so many people attended the court session and were very appreciative of everything Decorah High School Principal Kim Sheppard and her students did to make the evening so memorable. 

We especially enjoyed the reception following the court session when we were able to visit with community members and enjoy the outstanding treats prepared by Dana Einck's Family and Consumer Science students with the Viking Cafe.  I especially enjoyed the spinach dip made with spinach grown in the school's greenhouse. 

The students in Thomas Houdek's Business and Communication class who ran the audio, lighting, and live streaming for the event, as well as members of the mock trial team, who attended the court session to see attorneys argue a real case, impressed us all.  
 
We also enjoyed the opportunity to meet so many people from the Decorah area and to see a community that projected a spirit of optimism and kindness. 

The morning after the oral arguments, Justice Bruce Zager traveled south to the fish hatchery to see the famous "Eagle Cam" eagles; Justice Thomas Waterman, a long-distance runner, followed the Trout Run Trail for a very enjoyable morning run along the Upper Iowa River; and I took an early morning jog down Water Street and around your downtown area.  

I had the pleasure of visiting with faculty and administrators from Northeast Iowa Community College, including my long-time close friend John Noel.  I also spoke to students from the college, South Winneshiek High School, and Decorah High School.  Justice Zager visited Luther College and the other justices went to high schools in the surrounding area. 

We were all impressed by the thoughtful questions from students and to see them engaged in learning.  Civic education is a critical component for preserving our constitutional democracy for future generations.  We hope our visits with young people will build upon what they have learned in school, lead to a common understanding of the history and role of the courts, and encourage them to learn more about the work of courts and the vital link between rule of law and democracy.  We talked with students about our responsibilities on the supreme court, the Iowa court system, and answered the many questions they had about the Judicial Branch of government.  
       
The court would also like to thank Margaret Lingreen, Laurie Parrish, James Burns, and the Winneshiek County Bar Association, the officers of the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Department and Decorah Police Department.  Everyone was so helpful and welcoming.  You are fortunate to live in such a wonderful community, and our visit will long be remembered.