Judges,
Court Staff Open the Doors of Justice
The Bill of Rights and the
importance of federal courts in preserving individual freedom were the topics
Oct. 24-25 when more than 60 federal judges and their staffs engaged 4,500 high-school
students in courtroom exercises and discussions. The event, Open Doors of Justice:
the Bill of Rights in Your Life, was offered at 42 courts and linked judges,
community leaders, high-school juniors, and teachers throughout all 12 circuits.
This program was the first
part of a long-term commitment to establish federal courts as civic literacy
partners with local academic communities.
The hard work of the court
employees and the involvement of judges produced positive results. "The students
got first-hand experience with federal courts in action, rather than just reading
about it in a textbook or discussing the role of federal courts in a classroom
setting," said Richard Wasko, Vermont clerk of court.
The 2001 Open Doors of Justice program had five components:
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A Teachers' Institute at local courthouses to bolster participating educators'
knowledge about federal courts and their skill in teaching about the system.
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A national broadcast shown at federal courthouses featuring students talking
about the Bill of Rights and its impact on their lives.
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The students' moot court simulation based on the U.S. Supreme Court case
Illinois v. Wardlow. Courts and schools can find this and other lesson
plans at the federal courts' Internet site: www.uscourts.gov
(Educational Outreach, Lesson Plans for High-School Law-Related Educators).
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An interactive debriefing with host judges and volunteer attorneys about
the Bill of Rights, the moot court, and the Judiciary.
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An optional essay contest on the Bill of Rights.
"The logistics of Open Doors
were well executed," said Matt Johnson, a teacher at Banneker High School in
Washington, D.C., whose 23 students were among the 60 participants assigned
to three courtrooms at the District of Columbia court.
Students
were designated the roles of justices, attorneys, or journalists who prepared
in small groups at the courthouse for the jobs they would assume alongside host
judges and volunteer attorneys.
"I loved acting as a justice," said
Eli Berman, St. Albans School for Boys, Washington, D.C. "It was very interesting,
and being with a real judge was a very humbling experience."
The
student justices' decisions, which were close calls in almost every courtroom,
stimulated strong reactions from students during the debriefing with the judges
and lawyers. In light of their struggle to come to a decision, students said
they came away with a greater understanding and appreciation of what judges
do.
"I
think today turned out to be a fantastic experience for all of us who were involved,"
said Missouri-Eastern Chief Judge Jean Hamilton. "Certainly the students in
my courtroom were totally engaged." She described the student justices, lawyers
and journalists as delightful to work with and well prepared by their teachers.
Hamilton
said she hopes the students learned that judges, court staff, and lawyers are
people they can talk to and who care about the work of the courts in their communities.
She also wants students to be comfortable in a courthouse and understand the
important role courts have in their lives in a society based on the rule of
law.