Magistrate Ana Osan raised her right hand and administered the oath.
But instead of the usual confines of the Porter Superior 1 Courtroom, she was standing in front of 70 fourth graders assembled in the cafeteria of Jackson Elementary School Tuesday morning.
The students repeated after her: “I swear and affirm, under penalties of perjury, to tell the truth, the whole truth.”
“Constitution Day” was in session. The day commemorates the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution. Schools throughout the region are holding similar programs this week.
Osan led the students through the basics, such as how the Constitution’s first 10 amendments are also known as the Bill of Rights, the three branches of government and what her job as a judicial magistrate involves.
Wearing the black robe she usually dons on the bench, Osan also posed and fielded questions.
“Do you know why they raise their right hand instead of the left hand?” Osan asked regarding the oath.
Then, Osan asked if a person could tell the truth if they raised their left hand.
She then explained that in earlier times, those convicted of a crime would have a mark placed on their right hand. Particularly, if a person had been involved in a murder, the letter M would be on their right hand.
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She assured the students that it isn’t the practice today and that telling the truth certainly didn’t depend on which hand you raised.
One student wanted to know how Osan sensed someone was being truthful in her courtroom.
“I have this radar; it is internal,” Osan said.
Osan also pointed out that she has 26 years of experience in the legal profession. She has served as a magistrate in Porter County since January 2020.
The magistrate then led the group through a tutorial of the different branches of government. She had her nephew, Declan Osan, a fourth-grader, assist her at one point, holding up a sign that said: “Judicial Branch.”
She compared the three branches of government — executive, legislative and judicial — to a three-legged stool.
“What happens if one of the legs is taken away?” Osan asked.
A student answered: “It tilts.”
Osan said that’s why it’s important that there are checks and balances so that one government branch doesn’t become too powerful.
As a magistrate, Osan said she is part of the judicial branch. She said it was her job to see that the law is administered with fairness and is followed.
Osan said she enjoys her job and it is different every day.
And this “Constitution Day” at Jackson Elementary School brought its own unpredictability as a fire alarm went off during her presentation. Osan even banged the gavel she brought to get students to file out of the building.
The session continued out in the parking lot where Osan fielded a few more questions, and then a group photo was taken.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.