Judge visits Kittatinny students

NEWTON — Asked to speak at Kittatinny Regional High School to social studies classes, Judge Andrew Napolitano opened his remarks with his background. He grew up in Bloomfield is a product of public school education, and graduated from Princeton University and the University of Notre Dame Law School.

What he doesn’t say is that he was the youngest life-tenured Superior Court Judge in the history of the State of New Jersey.

What he doesn’t say is that he taught constitutional law and jurisprudence at Seton Hall Law School for 11 years and was often chosen by his students as their most outstanding professor.

What he doesn’t say is that he sat on the bench for eight years and presided over more than 150 jury trials and thousands of motions, sentencings, and hearings.

The fact that he doesn’t beat his own drum is, perhaps, an insight about his character and personality.

Judge Napolitano lectures nationally about the United States Constitution, the rule of law, civil liberties in wartime, and human freedom. He believes in the freedoms expressed in the United States Constitution.

A skilled and interesting speaker, the Judge knows a great deal about the forming of federal and state governments and about the leaders and heroes of the American Revolution. He throws out probing questions to get the attention of the audience and then answers his own questions, interspersing factual information with interesting stories and humorous anecdotes.

Poking fun at bureaucratic government agencies, one of the first questions Napolitano asked was “What are the nine most terrifying words in the English language?” and said it was a quote from President Ronald Reagan. Senior Seamus Wilson accurately answered, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Kittatinny students and several faculty members were surprised by his friendly demeanor as he made history come alive. When the floor was opened to questions, several students responded.

Proving that his teacher, Matt Majka, did not stack the student audience with prepared questions, senior Sam Nubile asked, “I saw somewhere that you attended Notre Dame Law School. So, what did you think of the BCS Bowl?” The Judge teased that Sam was probably a football player and then demonstrated his own varied interests by giving his personal opinion about the football event in question.

Senior Molly Hoyer asked, “What is your opinion of public education?” and “Do you think charter schools will assist with this?”

Senior Sarah Anderson asked about the Judge’s opinion of the elastic clause, also known as the necessary and proper clause, used by the government to expand its powers. “Good question,” said Napolitano, and said the government that thought it was important enough to include the clause is the same government that has been abusing it since day one.

When senior Ryan Russell stood up to ask a question, the Judge demonstrated a sense of humor about himself as he looked up at the student’s 6’7” frame and laughingly asked to have a picture taken with him, showing the differences in their height.

Ryan’s question dealt with the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. He asked whether or not it still applied to us today and if we should allow laws banning assault rifles and automatic weapons. That’s a loaded question (no pun intended) for Napolitano, a nationally-recognized champion of personal freedom.

The Judge has authored seven books on the U. S. Constitution, two of which have been New York Times Best Sellers.

His most recent book, “Theodore and Woodrow: How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedom,” argues that presidential violations of the Constitution 100 years ago have brought many of our woes today.

Widely admired by members of his own profession, Judge Napolitano is also held in high regard by TV pundits and local, state, and national politicians.

About 50 Kittatinny students and faculty added themselves to that list in January.