What Does This Really Mean?
After my first blog post, things picked up with the internship. The effect of the outbreak on the Commission seems to have slightly diminished. I was able to make contact with the Commission and received a list of questions regarding specific Evidence rules. The Commission was very curious what the rules really meant and how the rules impacted actual proceedings. Based on these questions, we set up a Google Meeting for me to answer the questions sent to me and any other questions that they may think of during the meeting.
I spent the week leading up to the meeting pouring over the questions they sent to me, doing research, and thinking of easy to explain examples to illustrate the rules. I went through cases and my own notes from Evidence in order to get a complete grasp of the rules. Perhaps the most difficult part was the preparation of applicable examples. While I know that the SJC does speak English well, I am also aware that some colloquialisms do not transfer in an international setting. I was very careful to ensure that my examples were not just applicable to America and also were phrased in a way to avoid obscure phrases that may not be common.
I have to confess that the task of teaching evidence law to the Supreme Judicial Commission of another country was rather daunting. Here I am as a rising 3L telling another country what the law is and how it should be applied. In a lot of ways, teaching is an incredibly humbling experience. There is a deep sense of disbelief that the Commission would trust me to help craft their evidence law. There is also an incredible sense of responsibility knowing that my instruction and research will help to inform Tibet’s evidence law for years to come.
While I was moderately nervous going into this meeting, I quickly got into the rhythm of teaching and truly enjoyed the meeting. Not only do I love Evidence law, I also do love teaching. I spent many years as a camp counselor teaching theatre and small groups. That meeting truly reminded how much I enjoy engaging with material and individuals in a teaching setting. I am happy that it appears that the SJC was also very happy with the meeting and we have another meeting set up for this week where I will be focusing purely on hearsay. While hearsay is complicated, thankfully it is my favorite set of rules from Evidence and I am excited to explain the intricacies of the exceptions.
Here is to another week of finding out what the rules really mean.