A Real Federal Judge, A Real Courtroom, and Very Real School Issues

This highly interactive program combines the vampire craze and social media to give participants a novel way to apply and teach the precedent set in a landmark Supreme Court case as they involve themselves in a realistic trial and jury deliberations--in an actual courtroom with a judge. The First Amendment and Social Media: Student Rights, Wrongs, and Responsibilities, is based on a fictional scenario that mirrors Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. A federal judge presides over this true-to-life trial simulation and attorneys coach the participants throughout the process so that they can do the program in their classrooms or in their local federal courthouses. No preparation is necessary for this classroom-ready/courtroom-ready activity. Teachers will leave the program with everything they need to do the simulation the first day they return to the classroom.

Location: E. Barret Prettyman Courthouse, 333 Constitution Avenue, NW
One block from the Judicialy Square Metro stop on the Red Line. Use the side entrance in the middle of the block on Third Street near Constitution Avenue. For more informatoin, contact Federal Courts' National OUtreach Manager Rebecca Fanning at rebecca_fanning@ao.uscourts.gov