Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Contact: Rebecca Fanning, Community and Educational Outreach Manager Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building One Columbus Circle, N.E. Washington, DC 20544 E-mail: rebecca_fanning@ao.uscourts.gov Website: www.uscourts.gov This program was a winner of the 2000 Law Day Activity Awards. Law Day 2000: Judicial Independence is for You Activity Summary: Thirty-four federal courthouses, some 40 judges and more than 1,300 high school seniors participated in the federal courts’ “Law Day 2000: Judicial Independence is for You" national satellite broadcast of a mock hearing followed by a town hall discussion. Students assumed the role of judges assigned to a search and seizure case arising from a school incident. In the midst of simulated public pressure, the “judges” decided the case, then shared their results and rationale via satellite uplink, FAX and Internet. The broadcast was followed at each courthouse with the host judges and attorneys facilitating lively discussions with the students. Activity Narrative: Facing the public pressure that tests judicial independence every day, more than 1,300 high school seniors across the country sat in judgment of a fellow student whose backpack had been searched randomly at school. The scenario may have been fictitious but the student judges had an experience with real-life tensions as they tried to focus on the legal issues that should be considered and set aside emotional public opinion to arrive at a fair and impartial decision. Public Impact, Reach and Media Coverage Prior to the broadcast, real-life host judges set the stage for the judicial independence theme by visiting participating classrooms. Courthouses made a point to involve a diversity of school populations from different geographic and socioeconomic areas. Local print and broadcast media in more than 15 communities from Burlington, VT to Los Angeles covered the events. At each courthouse students assumed the role of judges assigned to a mock hearing on the fictional Fourth Amendment case. They read fictionalized print news coverage and watched a videotape of a fictional news cast about the issues raised in the mock hearing. They also studied the fictional fact pattern and a real U.S. Supreme Court case that set the precedent for deciding it. Quality, Innovation and Effectiveness of Program With the facts, judicial precedent and public pressures in the balance, the "judges" went through a guided decision-making process to evaluate which factors to consider and which to discount in arriving at an impartial decision in the midst of emotionally charged, divisive community reactions reported in the media simulation. The quality of the program is illustrated in the written evaluations, letters, and the videotaped exit interviews. The students demonstrated in their feedback that the program's learning objectives were achieved. Trends in the students' comments showed that they understood that judicial independence: Insulates judges from outside influences Guarantees that disputes are decided according to the rule of law. Means that citizens can have confidence in the courts. The program used technology, not only to make it possible for students to talk to each other in the live national town hall broadcast but also for the Office of Public Affairs to provide detailed logistical information for courthouse coordinators about how to execute the event, form partnerships, recruit schools, and promote the program in diverse communities. Participating teachers could find the courts' preparatory curriculum materials on the Internet at www.uscourts.gov.at "What's New" under "Courts to Classes." The program was produced by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' Office of Public Affairs with production assistance from the Federal Judicial Center and content contributions from the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications. The Federal Bar Association and other local bar associations provided transportation, refreshments, chaperones, panelists and facilitators, The program was a featured workshop at the April Law-Related Educators Summit in Atlanta sponsored by the American Bar Association. Students from Presidential Classroom were in the Washington, DC studio audience. To build on the success of Law Day, the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) served as a communication contact with the academic community for the first-ever Federal Courts' Teachers Institute for LRE teachers August 4, 2000. At the Institute, high school teachers participated in a modified version of the program at their local federal courthouse and took away materials on judicial independence immediately ready for classroom use. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization