YAB Ypulse Youth Website Profile: Ask The Judge

Today’s Youth Advisory Board post comes from Lauren Williams who profiles Ask the Judge. The online resource, run by Natalie Jacobs, a lawyer involved in several youth-related projects including the non-profit Girls on the Run, and her father, a juvenile judge, looks to provide answers for young people (and their parents) about the legal issues that affect teens.

Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

YAB Ypulse Youth Website Profile: Ask the Judge

What it is: Can I go to jail for cyberbullying? Can my parents keep me from watching certain TV shows or force me to follow their religion? What happens if I use a fake ID? Will I get drafted when I grow up? What if I’ve been accused of a crime?  The law can be a scare, unfamiliar territory for teenagers.  What can and cannot happen to you if you break the law, inadvertently or not, is often unclear or complicated. Judge Tom Jacobs dispels myths, explains legal procedure, and details juvenile rights in the hopes of ease the minds of America’s youth.

Who it’s for: Teenagers and their parents are often equally unaware of the law.  There are a great many laws society is made to follow and often, we don’t even know what is actually illegal.  ASKTHEJUDGE, while mainly focused on youth, is also a great place for parents to zero in on the potential legal issues affecting their children. Not all laws will pertain to youth, so by narrowing the field down, ASKTHEJUDGE provides quick access to the most prevalent youth related laws.

What works for us: Whether you just want a quick answer to a burning question about your cell phone rights, or you’re looking to ask a new question about that traffic ticket you got last week, ASKTHEJUDGE has got it covered.  The “Ask The Judge a Question” feature is perhaps my favorite aspect of the site, allowing previously unanswered questions to garner attention.  It’s like in grade school when the teacher would say, “If you’ve got a question, chances are someone else has the same question.” The forums are a fantastic bonus as teens and parents can discuss amongst themselves the legal issues facing youth.  Finally, Judge Jacobs proves to be an actual person rather than a team of young paralegals or law inters in his thoughtful blog.

Challenges: Legal issues prevent the Judge from doling out person-specific advice.  That can be difficult when you’re legal problems are complicated and confusing.  The question poser must either boil down their issue to the most basic idea or find himself or herself an actual lawyer.

About Lauren

Lauren recently spent a harrowing year in England where she overcame her life’s demons and finally found her answer to that itching question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Currently, she is completing her final year at Northern Arizona University. She will graduate this spring with a BA in English and a minor in Cinema and Visual Culture.  Meanwhile, she is keenly stressing herself out by volunteering to take on a 60 page undergraduate thesis about Superman.  When not studying, Lauren enjoys watching ungodly amounts of television. An All-American girl, Lauren loves baseball, Coca-Cola, cherry pie, and violent action films. Her favorite pastimes include hanging out in grapefruit trees, building complex civilizations out of LEGOS, and digging for dinosaur bones in the sandbox.