Indiana courts' Appeals on Wheels program provides transparency for appellate process

The chief judge of Indiana's Court of Appeals said the state's award-winning Appeals on Wheels program helps provide transparency about the legal process.

The Indiana Court of Appeals has conducted hundreds of traveling oral arguments the last two decades, often at high schools or colleges.

Chief Judge Robert Altice said it gives Hoosiers a chance to experience a part of the justice system they rarely see.

"I think everybody is familiar with what a trial court does, because they see that on television," Altice said. "Very few people know what an intermediate appellate court does."

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The audience also gets to ask questions after the arguments. Altice said a common question — especially from students — is how they become judges.

"They hear from people like us, who — first generation college, I'm like, 'If I can do it, you can do it,'" Altice said. "As we like to say in the business, you gotta see the robe to be the robe."

Altice said the judges also try to pick cases to hear at traveling arguments that will be particularly interesting or relatable to the audience.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.