Justice Toya brought her Associate Justices (Associate Justices Lee Bergen, Justice Earl Mettler, Paul Padilla, and Nadine Padilla) and New Mexico Supreme Court Justices Bacon and Vargas together for an afternoon of conversation and learning. Justice Toya and her Associate Justices explained the importance of including Pueblo members who are experts in the customs and traditions of the Pueblo, but who are not law trained, as lay justices on the Appellate Court. Participation by lay justices ensures that the decisions that the Appellate Court issues reflect the values that are unique to the Pueblo of Isleta community. The Justices also discussed the different impacts on them when a decision is issued – in the Pueblo setting, the decisions are personal to the community, and it is not uncommon for community members to approach Appellate Court Justices about the outcome of a particular case. For New Mexico Justices, while their decisions in particular cases may make headlines, the parties to the case might not recognize the Justices in a public setting like a grocery store line. The Isleta and New Mexico Justices all agreed on the importance of writing opinions that can be understood by community members that are not filled with legalese, and on the value of continuing to meet and learn from each other.