How the Supreme Court Looks from a First-Year Delegate’s Point of View vs. a Fourth-Year Delegate’s
By: Itzelle Haro Lopez
This is an article on the perspectives on how a fourth year in Youth in Government sees it vs how a first year in YIG sees it. My sources are two delegates, both in Supreme Court. One is a little more experienced than the other and less worried for Model Gov. My two sources are Yashika Anand and Zeke Butler- two very awesome people who work well together.
Fourth-year delegate Zeke Butler :
Zeke Butler is a delegate who has done four years in total. He has done two years in the senate and two years in Supreme Court. His partner this year in Supreme Court is Yashika Anad. Their case is Allen Watt vs Justin Watt. Zeke is a super funny guy, and his humor can make a room light up. Everyone in the Green Bay delegation would probably agree with me and once you meet him in Model Gov you’ll see. Zeke states that he thinks Youth in Government is not only a program where you have to do work and write. Zeke thinks Youth in Government is also something you have to try and enjoy.
Zeke says that Youth in Government is something fun, but only if you try and have fun. If you see Youth in Government as extra work, you’re not doing it right. His main advice is to have fun, be yourself, and don’t be shy. Zeke said that during his first year he took Youth in Government too seriously and barely got to enjoy it. Additionally, he said that in his second year he saw YIG not as work but as a fun experience, and so he enjoyed it much more. His exact words were; “Youth in Government isn’t about winning your court case or having the best media article. It’s about having fun. Well, to me I guess. To make it more simple, don’t be shy and have fun in YIG.”
Yashika and Zekes’ case is Allen vs Watt. The full story is about a city official, Mr. Watt, who is supposed to be posting updates on a public account. Instead, he posts to a private personal account. Mr. Allen calls him out on it, stating that Mr. Watt should be posting these reports to a public account so people can see them. After a while, Mr. Watt blocks Mr. Allen. Now, Mr. Allen is suing Mr Watt. Mr. Allen states that his first amendment right and Wisconsin Open Records Law have been violated.
Zeke and his partner Yashika truly do work well together. The work that Zeke and Yashika complete and how they work together truly shows that whatever type of partner you have helps a bunch. So simply, if you don’t like your partner, you won’t do good work. From the point of view of a first-year, this is truly good advice. Even though you might be scared at first, YIG will get easier with time.
First-year delegate Yashika Anand:
Yashika Anand is a first-year delegate at YIG. For her first year in the program, she chose the Supreme Court branch. Her partner, as said before, is Zeke Butler. Yashika is the second person working on the Allen Watt vs Justin Watt case, and Yashika and Zeke are very sure they will win their case. Yashika says that Zeke has been in YIG more years than her and has helped guide her a bit, especially with Zeke knowing how everything runs. She states that with them working together they are sure to win. Yashika is very energetic and likeable. After being in the same delegation as Yashika, it seems if you’re nervous and Yashika walks into the room, you will feel ten times better within a few seconds. Yashika is without a doubt the nicest person you’ll ever meet.
Because Yashika is a first-year delegate, she has a very realistic first day story. Her recount starts with her walking into the Ferguson Family YMCA. She had just moved and the YMCA was huge. She was scared and asked a girl for help. Once she got to the meeting, she debated leaving and going home. Yashika texted her best friend asking her if she should leave. Fortunately her story doesn’t end here. Something in her told her to stay and see what it was about. She had always wanted to be a lawyer and she knew these programs would help her achieve that. Some things that Yashika wishes that she could tell her nervous first-day self is that it’ll all work out and it’ll be worth it. Many people can agree that Yashika’s story is similar to everyone’s first day.