Nearly 50 high school students in Washington, D.C. were the latest to experience the program in late March. The judges, and attorney volunteers from across the country who are active in the Federal Bar Association Foundation, were in D.C. for a Federal Bar Association meeting. Local leaders of the Urban Debate League also participated, so that they can work together to replicate the program at more federal courts across the country.
“The program engages students in challenging and relevant discussions about rights and the law, encouraging them to employ in front of judges the critical thinking and public speaking skills they learn in debate,” said McAlister Clabaugh, a program associate at the Urban Debate League’s D.C. chapter. “The informal conversations and networking afterward provide unique opportunities for students to engage with legal professionals and judges, building contacts and humanizing the legal system.”
As part of the career exposure element of the event, James Brown, Jr., an IT specialist at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, explained how the federal Judiciary relies on more than just judges and attorneys in its mission of ensuring equal justice under law. IT experts, courtroom deputies, interpreters, and probation and pretrial officers are some of the many career opportunities that serve vital functions in the judicial branch.
“It’s rewarding to use my IT management expertise to support the courts every day in their mission of justice,” Brown said.