Ex-judge Nalitz speaks at Law Day
Members of West Greene School District’s debate team stand with Greene County Bar Association President Brandon Meyer, far left, and retired President Judge William Nalitz during Friday morning’s Law Day activities at the courthouse.
West Greene student Sam Nefzi accepts a trophy on behalf of his team from Greene County Bar Association President Brandon Meyer.
WAYNESBURG – Former President Judge William Nalitz returned to his old courtroom Friday morning to discuss the importance of the Magna Carta, while also giving encouragement to high school students interested in law.
Nalitz, who retired from his seat in December after serving 17 years on the bench, spoke about how the famous British legal document written 800 years ago became the “cornerstone of rights and liberties” for American laws.
“It’s good to be back,” Nalitz said before cracking a joke about why he thought the Greene County Bar Association asked him to speak about the Magna Carta. “I’m the closest person in this room to the day that was signed.”
Nalitz walked the packed courtroom filled with county officials, lawyers, court staff and several West Greene students, through how the Magna Carta was formed and what it means to modern-day Americans. The absolute power of King John in the early 13th century and “endless and fruitless” wars against France led barons to force him to accept new rules he later dismantled, he said.
But the seeds of due process and basic rights of men were planted in the conscientious of the population and were eventually cited in aspects of the U.S. Constitution.
“It really was an enormous and popular event in England,” Nalitz said. “It’s been an important document that we still celebrate today.”
Nalitz shook hands with many of the court staff as he visited before the Law Day festivities.
“It’s nice to see him again,” attorney Allen Koslovsky said. “He was a very good judge and was here a very long time.”
The bar association also took the opportunity to honor students interested in law.
The morning’s events celebrated the West Greene School District’s debate team and their work during a mock murder trial in Washington County in which they mounted a potential defense. Student Sam Nefzi accepted a trophy on behalf of the team from Greene County Bar Association President Brandon Meyer.
“It’s a symbol of our hard work in the mock trial and we appreciate it,” Nefzi said.