NORTHAMPTON — Inside the oldest room in the Hampshire County Courthouse, law professor Rory Little told a group of high school students gathered inside that the first step to understanding the U.S. Constitution was a single, 13-letter phrase: “E Pluribus Unum.”

The phrase, which means “out of many, one” can be traced to the Roman philosopher Cicero and is depicted on the back of the $1 bill. Little, a Greenfield resident who spends his time between western Massachusetts and California as a law professor at the University of California San Francisco, explained to the students the rich symbolism of this simple phrase in the country, with its 13 letters representing the 13 original colonies and how they came together under one constitution.

“You all are the people who will have to decide how the Constitution works for the problems that you face today,” Little said. “I’m not going to be around 20 years from now to solve this problem. I’m going to be dead. You guys are going to be the active leaders, and you will have to decide what the words of the Constitution are. The Constitution was intentionally written to not be a detailed set of directions. It was written to be a general outline.”

The students attending on Friday came from Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, Easthampton High School, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School and Hampshire Regional High School. The students were there for “Law Day” at the courthouse, where they heard a lecture by Little on constitutional law before being guided on tours of the respective courthouses by lawyers from the Northwestern district attorney’s offices, members of the defense bar and courthouse staff.

Little also tied discussions on the Constitution to current events under the administration of President Donald Trump, who has frequently pushed the limits of the Constitution during his time in office, signing numerous executive orders that have subsequently been challenged in the courts.

He used the recent example of Trump attempting to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to try and deport members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang without following due process of law. A federal judge in Texas blocked the attempt last Thursday.

Little described how the ruling matched with the history of the Constitution, and how in the period between 1776 (the Declaration of Independence) and 1789 (the ratification of the Constitution), the different states in the union had separate foreign policies.

“That is a fact that the states for 13 years did have foreign affairs power. And when they agreed to join the Constitution, they gave up their power,” Little said. “This kind of exclusive presidential authority over international affairs is not correct historically.”

Little also talked about the rule of law and how no one, including the president of the United States, is above the law. He cited an opinion by former Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson after the Supreme Court ruled against then-President Harry Truman after Truman had ordered to seize control of the steel mills to prevent a strike during the Korean War.

“With all its defects, delays and inconveniences, men have discovered no technique for long preserving free government except that the executive be under the law,” Jackson wrote.

Frank Partida, an 18-year-old student at Amherst Regional High, said the opportunity to learn about the court system firsthand made it more fun to learn about.

“I feel more well-informed,” Partida said. “I was more at ease learning from an actual lawyer.”

Partida said he also was curious to know more how legal issues would play out during Trump’s current term, citing Trump’s hinting at trying to run for a third term, which is prohibited under the Constitution.

“In this era, it’s definitely going to make an impact,” Partida said. “Not everybody agrees [with Trump], but he’s always the center of attention. I don’t think it would break up the country, but it could cause a lot of issues.”

Ryan Brooks, a senior at Hampshire Regional High School, also said the experience was illuminating for learning about the judicial system and how it applies to the current political situation.

“I’ve never been in a courthouse before, and it was cool seeing how it actually works instead of seeing it in the classroom,” Brooks said. “I didn’t realize some of those things were going on. It was really interesting to learn about.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.