12/14/10 VOLUNTEER TO JUDGE CONSTITUTIONAL CONTEST

VOLUNTEER TO JUDGE CONSTITUTIONAL CONTEST

On the morning of Tuesday, December 14, 2010, approximately 250 high school students representing 8 local schools will gather in downtown Miami to test their understanding of the United States Constitution.    

The date marks the first round of the national “We the People” competition.   Since 1987, more than 26 million students have participated in this program funded by a special act of Congress. Several times in the last ten years, a high school from Miami-Dade County won the final round, which takes place in the old Senate chambers in our nation’s capital.

This program has proved an enduring success only because lawyers like you continue to volunteer and share their time and talent serving as judges.  Please consider volunteering this year if your schedule permits. For a manageable time commitment of only a few hours, you can serve as a role model for high school students, receive 2.0 general CLE credits from The Florida Bar, eat bagels, and share some Constitutional values with a rising generation of Americans. 

            DATE:                       Tuesday, December 14, 2010

               TIME:                        9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

            LOCATION:               James L. Knight Center

                                               3rd Floor, Miami Conference Center

                                               400 Southeast 2nd Avenue

                                               Miami, FL 33131

                                               (305-416-5970)

            FORMAT:     A mock congressional hearing in which the students make a joint presentation and then answer questions.  The judges and lawyers sit in panels of three.  The students appear in panels of six. Topics include basic issues of constitutional law such as free speech, equal protection, federalism, etc.  Materials provided on the morning of the competition contain suggested questions.  No preparation is required of the judges.

            CONTACT:   If you can make it, please calendar the date and confirm with one of the following:

Thomas Logue, Tel.: 305-375-5067, Email:  logue@miamidade.gov

  Damian E. Thomas, Tel.: 305-895-7553, Email:  damian@wt-legal.com

Co-Sponsored by the School Programs Committee of the Dade County Bar Association

 and the DCBA Young Lawyer Section Schools Committee.

Damian E. Thomas, DCBA Schools Committee Chair