October 29, 2015 – On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Honorable Pamela K. Chen, welcomed a small group of students from the Legal Studies Academy at New Utrecht High School. This visit was orchestrated by Bayardo Zelaya, a senior, who interned with Judge Chen this past summer as part of the Sonia & Celina Sotomayor High School Judicial Internship program.
Initially, the group was scheduled to observe a trial in Judge Chen’s courtroom and then participate in a Q&A Session during the lunch recess; however, the case settled. Judge Chen thoughtfully emailed me the evening before about the settlement, yet encouraged the group to visit anyway. Judge Chen and Fida Abdallah planned an amazing, memorable afternoon, which exceeded all expectations of our visit. New Utrecht students had the opportunity to spend a greater part of the day with a group of professionals who were genuinely sincere and eager to share their careers and advice with the group.
Please read one perspective from Legal Studies Academy junior, Emily Nazi:
During our visit to the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, we met amazing professionals in the field of criminal justice. As we arrived at the courthouse, we were eagerly greeted by Fida Abdallah, Case Manager/Courtroom Deputy to Judge Chen. Ms. Abdallah brought us to Judge Chen’s courtroom and provided us with some background about the court and her role in Judge Chen’s courtroom. She seems to serve as the “backbone” of Judge Chen’s courtroom. A few moments later, a loud knock on the door, and we all rose to welcome Judge Chen, who was dressed in her courtroom attire of the “black robe”.
Before Judge Chen introduced herself (she gave us candy!), she introduced her law clerks, detailing their roles in her courtroom, as well as their importance. Judge Chen proceeded to tell our group about herself and how she ended up in her role as a United States District Court Judge. She was extremely friendly, kind, welcoming, and excited to answer our questions. After speaking with Judge Chen for quite some time, she welcomed in two top court stenographers, Charleane Heading and Gene Rudolph, who graciously spent so much time showing us the stenotype machine (in real time) and discussing how their job works, how the “machine” works, and how much fun their job can be. They also answered so many of our questions. The entire time, Charleane was typing our entire conversation, which was “playing” on the courtroom computers and screens.
Following the presentation by Charleane and Gene, we were greeted by U.S. Marshall Melissa Salcedo. Melissa told us all about her job, how she became a U.S. Marshall, and a detailed breakdown of her daily routine with the Marshall’s office. She also showed us a video, the holding cells behind the courtroom, and her bulletproof vest (some of us got to try it on!). She even showed us how a tourniquet works (it is held in one of the compartments in her bulletproof vest).
Overall, the trip was memorable and encouraged the students to explore different fields of law. The New Utrecht students will visit Judge Chen’s courtroom in mid-November to observe a new trial that is set to begin in two weeks.
Featured Law Academy High School Article written by Alexis Cicale, New Utrecht HS teacher.