A Note from Jess
Hi There~
I wanted to take a moment and clarify the intentions I have and the hopes I hold for my little 'law library' and the books herein.
My daughter was born at the tail end of 2019. I returned to work in March of 2020 only to be back home on furlough for an unknown amount of time. And so, I soaked up the time with my tiny one - and started gathering books. Books with colors and textures for her baby fingers to feel, books with objects and words for her linguistic mind to learn, and books with information and wonder for her to adventuring soul to discover. I quickly filled our quirky shelves with books on Quantum Physics for Babies, Little People [with] Big Dreams like Mahatma Gandhi and Maria Montessori, and an interactive journey through Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We read about the Solar System, Dinosaur Dances and we thought to ourselves: What a Wonderful World.
In all of my searching, however, I did not find any stand-out books about the law, the judicial system, or what exactly happens inside a courtroom. Any books I did find were either strictly educational or leaned too far into the simplistic handling of the themes. As with all of the books in our library, I wanted something with a storyline that would entertain and engage without being afraid to utilize some of the actual terminology one would encounter in a real-life court of law. After searching around to no avail, I decided to make one myself.
I work in my state’s District Court system. I am passionate about the law and the judicial process. I am most passionate about how the law and judicial process interact with and affect the daily lives of real people.
District Courts in the United States (sometimes called Superior Courts, Circuit Courts, or something else altogether depending on your state) are the first level of the judicial process. This is where the majority of cases are first heard by a judge. These are the busiest courthouses, but they are also the most accessible to the general public. The people who work in the office at a courthouse are called clerks of court. My work as a clerk of court includes assisting all parties in a case - from members of the public to the prosecution, defense attorneys, police officers, and ultimately judges. As I watch members of my community interact with our office, I realize that many people might not confidently understand what the court is and how it works.
This is where I hope the residents of Snee County can help.
Through the happenings of Snee County, I hope to show the life cycle of a case’s day in court. I invite readers to journey alongside county residents as they journey through the halls of Snee County Courthouse - navigating the civil, traffic, and criminal court processes. I include a simplified legal dictionary in each book to encourage independent exploration, and I pair each story with beautifully detailed illustrations that let you linger on each page a moment more as you digest the information you’ve read.
