Civics outreach efforts continue in all the judicial districts in the Ninth Circuit. Many judges, court staff and volunteers take time out of their very busy schedule to reach out to students and help them learn more about the Constitution, the federal courts and our democracy.
As part of this effort, all 15 districts in the circuit held a local civics contest in conjunction with the 2019 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest which focused on the 4th Amendment. The contest challenged students to write an essay or produce a video focusing on the theme of the contest, The 4th Amendment in the 21st Century – What is an “Unreasonable Search and Seizure” in the Digital Age? The top winners in each district advanced as finalists at the circuit level. The 2019 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest winners of both the essay and video competitions were announced in June. Over 1,300 essay entries and 138 video entries were received from students from all parts of the circuit, submitting many well-written essays and artistically-produced videos. Students in the districts of Alaska, Arizona and Central California are the top winners in the essay portion, while students in districts of Central and Northern California, and Nevada are the top winners in the video portion.
The Ninth Circuit Courts and Community Committee, many judges and civics coordinators in each district, including the lawyer representatives, worked diligently to make sure that the number of students who participate increase every year. May it be through the flyers received by the teachers or a judge holding a brown bag lunch to talk about the contest, it feels rewarding to think that we reached many students who may have learned a bit more about the Constitution and the 4th Amendment.
On pages 2 and 3 are some photos from civics contest awards ceremony held throughout the circuit. I hope you enjoy these wonderful photographs. Kari Kelso, Ph.D., who is the circuit’s public education and community outreach administrator, has kept her calendar full of many student-related events happening at The Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Library and Learning Center. Kari manages all events held at the KLC. Thank you for reading and hope that you have a great summer.