On October 7th, the King’s Pre-law society had the opportunity to join the WVIA panel “Conversations for the Common Good: Safeguarding Justice Through Judicial Independence,” which was held at the WVIA studio in Pittston Township. Pre-law society received the invites through Attorney Joseph Rish, the faculty advisor of the Pre-law society, and Neil O’Donnell, Esq., who sent the invites and reserved 10 tickets for the King’s students.
The panel included state, federal, and county judges to discuss their role in the legal system and the importance of judicial independence. The featured panelists were the Honorable Matthew Brann, Chief U.S. District Judge, Middle District Pennsylvania; the Honorable Joseph Saporito, Jr., U.S. District Judge, Middle District Pennsylvania, the Honorable Lesa Gelb, Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, and the Honorable Mary Jane Bowes, of Pennsylvania Superior Court. Students also had an opportunity to meet the judges after the panel.
Conversations for the Common Good started in 2018 as a collaboration between WVIA and Bloomsburg University. The series grew out of a community engagement project called “The American Dream,” which originated through PBS. The overall goal of the Conversations for the Common Good series is to motivate the general public, young and old, to engage in discussions in a civil manner, where different sides can present their views respectfully.
WVIA’s mission is to educate, inspire, entertain and foster citizenship, diverse cultures, and perspectives to nurture community. Conversations for the Common Good is how WVIA fulfills its mission beyond its newsroom.
Tracey Matisak, the moderator of the panel, is a journalist. In her early career she was a general assignment reporter at a TV station in Philadelphia. She has been freelancing since 2000 and has had chance to interview authors and other experts on topics like race in America and Black history.
“The panel was wonderful and so knowledgeable, and the subject matter is critically important right now,” she said. “This was a topic I didn’t know much about, so it required a good deal of research to bring myself up to speed. Fortunately, the judges were quite helpful. We had a few Zoom calls, and they provided additional guidance and resources that made preparation smoother.”
“I hope that they help to move the needle and challenge people to think more broadly about topics like these,” she continued “While it’s not possible to accurately measure the impact of programs like these, I believe it’s necessary that we offer them. We may be “preaching to the choir” to some degree, but my hope is that this program and others like it will challenge audiences to think more critically.”
“The most impactful idea I took away was how the law can be used as a tool to build stronger and fairer communities, not just to solve problems, but to prevent them through justice and compassion,” said Hibba Mehran, a King’s College pre-law students. “Hearing the panelists speaking about their own experiences showed me how deeply the law is connected to everyday life. It helped me understand that being part of the legal field means more than knowing rules; it’s about using knowledge to serve others and create positive change.”
