February 22, 2024
Retired U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm has said that increasing funds for court security is not enough to prevent threats and that a decline in civic and U.S. history education in schools has provoked many people who do not understand the function of the judiciary. It is further exacerbated by social media perpetuating inaccurate news. If court users can better understand the function of the judiciary, it will lead to an increase in public trust.
How can a court system improve public trust? Education! Some state courts are focusing on efforts to expand and improve it.
Behind the Curtain: The Judicial Branch was developed by the Court of Appeals of Indiana and the Indiana Bar Foundation to help teachers implement a new civics education requirement that the legislature imposed. Teachers learned about the history of the judicial branch, legal language, and some court processes. They observed oral arguments and later had the opportunity to ask questions. The organizers emphasized the use of hands-on experience instead of relying only on the theory in books.
Judge Mathew Bryne of Ohio’s Twelfth District Court of Appeals is committed to improving education about the appellate level of the judiciary. He thinks that people who do not understand court processes can become frustrated, so he takes every opportunity to instruct students at schools and communities about court functions. He also invites citizens to watch oral arguments and then ask questions about the process.
Recently, the Judiciary of Puerto Rico issued a press release on their special report on education and community relations (in Spanish). The report details all the judiciary activities and educational projects since the start of the project in 2016. Chief Justice Oronoz-RodrÃguez stated that working together with the community will help reduce the access to justice barriers that come from the lack of information on court procedures. Judiciary of Puerto Rico activities include guided tours of courthouses and educational activities for teachers and school social workers. They also created a phone line where citizens could ask questions about court procedures. An email account was also created to receive inquiries from citizens.
The National Center for State Courts has a civics education website to help courts with their education programs. NCSC just launched its annual civics education essay contest, which opened February 19. Many teachers use this opportunity to involve their students in the contest.
Is your court reaching out to improve civic education? Email us at Knowledge@ncsc.org or call 800-616-6164 and let us know. Follow the National Center for State Courts on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Vimeo. For more Trending Topics posts, visit ncsc.org/trendingtopics or subscribe to the LinkedIn newsletter.