Blog – Page 2 – Justice Resource Center

2017 James Madison Legacy Project Summer Institute

The Justice Resource Center is now accepting applications for the 2017 James Madison Legacy Project Summer Institute! Deadline to apply is June 23rd.

This unique five day Summer Institute for NYC teachers will feature constitutional workshops facilitated by federal judges and prominent law professors. It will be followed up by two (2) PD sessions held throughout the following school year. Attendance of all dates is mandatory. Teachers will be compensated for their time.

For more details about the program, please click here.

Find Per Session Vacancy Notice VC#1110 under the DOE Career Opportunities webpage, or simply download here.

To apply, please download the application here and submit to jrcinfo@schools.nyc.gov by June 23rd.

2017 Law Day – High School Essay Contest

The Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York and the New York Law Journal have partnered with the New York City Dept. of Education to sponsor the Sixteenth annual essay contest for 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grade high school students. Ten students will win the opportunity to intern for one week with a Justice of the Supreme Court and earn a $100.00 gift card. A maximum of ten entries from each school will be considered. One of the winning essays will be published in the New York Law Journal, a legal periodical published by ALM.

The Law Day theme for 2017, is “The 14^th Amendment: Transforming American Democracy.”

The 2017 theme provides the opportunity to explore the many ways that the Fourteenth Amendment has reshaped American law and society. Ratified during Reconstruction a century and a half ago, the Fourteenth Amendment serves as the cornerstone of landmark civil rights legislation, the foundation for numerous court decisions protecting fundamental rights, and an inspiration for all those who advocate for equal justice under law.

Students should write a 500 word essay presenting a compelling discussion on the topic with special focus on the importance and impact of the Fourteenth Amendment.

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Call for Judges for Mock Trial

The 2017 NYSBA High School Mock Trial Tournament is underway. The Justice Resource Center, NYC coordinator of this premier law-related competition, is currently recruiting volunteer judges.

More than 90 schools from all five boroughs will meet at one of three courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens from February 28th to April 26th. Serving as a judge requires a time commitment of a few hours on a weekday evening, and prior knowledge of the case and tournament rules. Information about this year’s case, tournament rules, scoring guidelines and more can be found at http://www.nysba.org/mtcase/

Volunteer judges who are members in good standing of the New York State Bar Association and are also admitted to the New York State Bar for at least two years are eligible for up to three (3) CLE credits for their service. Past volunteers can receive CLE credits once every two years for their service in the Mock Trial Tournament.

Please see the application for complete details. If you are interested in serving as a judge, please complete this application and submit to mocktrialjudges@gmail.com or fax to (212) 580-5918 no later than February 6, 2017.

Bronx High School of Science Wins Moot Court Finals

December 15, 2016 – Congratulations to Bronx High School of Science for their victory in the 2016 MENTOR Moot Court Finals! The team competed against Forest Hills High School at the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse on December 15 with five federal judges presiding. Several participating schools, attorneys and educators came to watch as both finalists gave their arguments. Many thanks to all participants this year!

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Forest Hills High School Wins “We the People” City Competition

Saturday, December 10, 2016 – Congratulations to Forest Hills High School, James Madison High School, and Townsend Harris High School for earning the top three spots in the 2016 We The People NYC competition! They will be competing in Albany at the New York State Finals in February 2017. This year’s citywide competition was held at MLK High School, hosted by the Justice Resource Center. Classes of students from Forest Hills High School, James Madison High School, Townsend Harris High School, Harry S. Truman High School, Edward R. Murrow High School, and William Cullen Bryant High School presented arguments about the Constitution’s relevance and answered judges’ questions during rounds of mock Congressional hearings.

The We the People competition is the yearly culminating event of the NYC program. Teams of students present for four minutes based on the six units in the text. Volunteer attorneys, politicians, and professors serve on the judges panel, and ask students questions for the final six minutes of the competition. Each team is scored based on their overall performance.