Groundbreaking Collaboration Brings Civics Education Program to Indianapolis

Groundbreaking Collaboration Brings
Civics Education Program to Indianapolis

Indianapolis — The Supreme Court Historical Society and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana are excited to launch “The Supreme Court and My Hometown” program for Indianapolis-area high school students. This week-long summer day camp for local high school students will take place at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse June 24 - 28, 2024.

The Supreme Court and my Hometown program engages students in an intensive study of the process and substantive issues of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. It also encourages students to interact with their local government and communities based on what they have learned throughout their study. 

A distinguishing feature of Hometown is that students focus on a Supreme Court case that originated in their hometowns and local courts in a unique and personalized way.  The Indianapolis program explores both the Constitutional questions as well as the procedural history of Hess v. Indiana (1973). Students will learn about the role of the Supreme Court and its independence in our system of government, as well as the work of the federal court system, in a way that brings the Court “down to earth.” 

Students will be immersed in an analysis of the facts, trials, and appeals that led to the Supreme Court decision.  At the end of the program sessions, students will design an exhibit in the Federal Court Learning Center at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse as a capstone project to further solidify their learning, enhance their creative skills, and engage with their community.  

This groundbreaking program will include a number of notable presenters and mentors, including the Hon. Tanya Walton Pratt, Chief Judge for the Southern District of Indiana; Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey G. Slaughter; Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Monica Foster, Chief Federal Defender for the Southern District of Indiana; Ken Falk, Legal Director of the ACLU of Indiana; and Ray Haberski, Professor of History at Indiana University Indianapolis. The program is organized by Nicole Carlson Maffei, Director of Civics Education at the Supreme Court Historical Society, with support from Mary Giorgio, Outreach Coordinator at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

For more information, please contact:

 

Mary Giorgio (local contact)           Nicole Carlson Maffei

317-229-3711                                     202-543-0400

mary_giorgio@insd.uscourts.gov nmaffei@supremecourthistory.org

 

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