Involve, inform, inspire

• Published in: Judicature 2022-04, Vol.106 (1), p.14-20
• Main Author: Fanning, Rebecca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Attorneys; Bar associations; Best practice; Citizenship education; Cognitive style; Court hearings & proceedings; False information; Federal court decisions; Interactive learning; Judges & magistrates; Professional baseball; Professionals; Rule of law; Students; Volunteers
• ISSN: 0022-5800

The federal courts' website (www.uscourts.gov/ about-federal-courts/educationalresources/educational-activities) features just that: courtroom-ready and classroom-ready programs that ask judges and volunteer lawyers for only 45 minutes of preparation - 30 minutes reviewing the materials and 15 minutes talking about the agenda - before walking into the courtroom to engage with adult or student participants.1 These time-boxed activities of varying durations are so easy to use that I say they are "just add a judge and stir" programs that breathe the realities of the justice system into what students are learning in school. "4 Just two months prior to the chief justice's message, the first National Conference on Civic Education and the Federal Court brought together 180 judges, court staff, bar associations, law schools, and national civics education organizations to share best practices and programs at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan.5 The concept was created by the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann, who was the chief judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals when he initiated the conference. The reach of these initiatives is felt in homes, courtrooms, classrooms, and adult education sites as well as at local landmarks, national monuments, and professional baseball fields.6 Best practices National initiatives foster a shared sense of excellence and cohesion for decentralized efforts implemented by independent entities. Federal court programs are (1) conducted in courtrooms, classrooms, community venues, iconic sites, and in distance-learning environments; (2) accessible to all learning styles and highly interactive; (3) responsive to diversity, equity, and inclusion of participants and presenters who are judges, lawyers, and other legal professionals; (4) designed to raise awareness of jury service and careers in the law. * Focused on clear objectives and interactive experiences.