Students throughout Los Angeles County participated in the Law Day event
The United States District Court for the Central District of California recently celebrated its ninth Law Day observance, opening its doors to more than 800 students from 16 different public high schools located throughout Los Angeles County. The theme for April 21-24 event at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles was "A Legacy of Liberty - Celebrating Lincoln’s Bicentennial."
Some 120 volunteers from Central District and the Los Angeles Superior Court participated in the program. They included federal district and magistrate judges and staff from the offices of the clerk of court, U.S. attorney, pretrial services and probation, federal public defender and U.S. Marshals Service.
"The spirit of these volunteers reflects both this court’s commitment to public service, and the dedication of court staff to ensuring the continued promise of government under the principle of the rule of law," said Central District’s Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins.
Judge Collins noted that a number of the volunteers were Los Angeles natives "eager to share their successful careers in the law with students from their own former high schools."
Each class had its picture taken on the steps of the federal courthouse. Students then were escorted to the courtrooms inside to participate in a scripted mock trial. Students assumed the roles of judge, prosecutor, public defender, courtroom clerk, court security officer, witnesses and defendants. The remainder of the students were divided into juries which deliberated and returned verdicts in the case.
Real judges were on hand to receive the verdict from each jury and to speak about the relevance of the mock trial. Attorneys and representatives from various federal agencies also made presentations.
Feedback from the visitors was very positive. Both students and teachers spoke appreciatively of the knowledge gained through participating in the mock trial, and welcomed the opportunity to meet so many different people in the federal judicial system who can positively impact their lives and future careers.
