Through the Courts4Civics initiative, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit promotes civics education in our schools and communities.  Read on to find out about ongoing initiatives and to discover how you can get involved!

Teachers, Civics, and the Courts:

Regional Institutes Empower Educators Across the Fourth Circuit

This summer Courts4Civics hosted three teachers’ institutes across the Fourth Circuit, collaborating with local civic coalitions, judges, educators, and the public to provide teachers with resources to take into the classroom. Each institute created a unique opportunity for teachers to interact with and learn from judges, judiciary staff, and historians.

The first teachers’ institute of summer 2025 was held in North Carolina. As federal judges and attorneys made their way to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Courts4Civics was kicking off its first North Carolina-based teachers’ institute. Courts4Civics collaborated with the North Carolina Civics Coalition and Generation Nation to host a half-day teachers’ institute at the Middle District of North Carolina Courthouse in Charlotte on June 24, 2025.

In July 2025, Courts4Civics hosted two teachers’ institutes, one in Richmond, Virginia, and another in Morgantown, West Virginia. Richmond-area educators collaborated with the federal court and a local museum for civics-focused professional development day.   Read the full article here

“We deal with the most personal aspects of people’s lives, and that’s why civics education is so important.” 

                                                                 -Magistrate Judge Michael J. Aloi

Civics Champion Spotlight Celebrating outreach efforts in local communities

Courts4Civics spotlights judiciary employees throughout the Fourth Circuit who have participated in civics education outreach. We recently interviewed career law clerk Jasmine Little about her experience working on the Civics Initiative in the Middle District of North Carolina.

Jasmine shared that "I think it is important for students to have interactions with the federal courts in a positive light.  Interacting with members of the court demystifies the judicial system for students and allows them to take concepts they have learned in class and put them into practice so they are able to conceptualize how different constitutional concepts can play out in ways that affect them."

Read this article on the Courts4Civics website

Richmond Welcomes America’s Newest Citizens on Independence Day

82 New Citizens Take Oath at Naturalization Ceremony

Circuit Judge Roger L. Gregory administered the Oath of Allegiance to 82 people from 39 countries at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond, Virginia, on July 4, 2025. In addition to strict requirements, new citizens must pass a civics test.

Judge Gregory’s remarks to the newly sworn citizens began with the concept of “a sober sense of citizenship” and a quote from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1797:  “It was by the sober sense of our citizens that we were safely and steadily conducted from monarchy to republicanism, and it is by the same agency alone we can be kept from falling back.” Judge Gregory also spoke about another letter written by Jefferson in 1821, in which he described a flame kindled on July 4, 1776, that had spread around the globe and could not be quenched by despotism.  Emphasizing the responsibility of citizens to keep that flame lit, Judge Gregory shared a quote from Benjamin Franklin, “I have given you a republic if you can keep it.”  Read this article on the Courts4Civics website

Civics Break: Adult Civics Education for the Workplace 

Earlier this year, the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School launched a new program: Civics Break.  This non-partisan course examines the rule of law, how it fits into the American democratic system, what judges do, and how courts and judges affect our lives.  Check out the new short video on the Rule of Law. 

This free online course has been crafted for adults of any age wishing to learn more about our government. The course could be used by community groups or individuals.  The content is designed to fit in three lunch sessions or in less than half of one day.  Please share this free resource with others in your community!

Building an Informed Citizenry: VMI Students Attend Court 

Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, visit the Fourth Circuit to watch oral arguments during the court’s Spring and Fall sessions as part of their course on the U.S. Constitution. Students participate in a Q&A session with the panel of judges after argument.  Chief Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Circuit Judge James A. Wynn, who served in the U.S. Navy, stand center with cadets who visited in Spring 2025.   

                                                                                                        Read the full article here

Constitution Day:  Celebration, Reenactments, and Essay Contest Winners On September 10, the Court of Appeals opened its doors to the community for the annual Constitution Day program, a celebration honoring the signing of the United States Constitution. The event highlighted the voices of the next generation, as essay contest winners were recognized alongside their proud families.  Adding to the spirit of the day, student reenactors from Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School brought history to life, performing a short skit about New Jersey v. T.L.O and students' rights to privacy in school.

Civil Discourse Day at William & Mary Law School

1L students gathered for the second annual Civil Discourse program at William & Mary Law School. The program partners attorneys and federal judges including Circuit Judge Roger L. Gregory with law school professors and students to help facilitate thoughtful and difficult conversations and while engaging with students to help develop civil discourse skills. Read more about the civil discourse program and William & Mary event here

Civics Round Up

April 2025:  Courts4Civics committee members attended The Katzmann Conference: Advancing Civic Education and Public Engagement, a national conference in St. Louis.  Through panel discussions and interactive brainstorming sessions, the team gained invaluable information about how other federal courts are involved in civics education.  April 2025: Members of Courts4Civics and the Middle District of North Carolina Civics Initiative attended the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference in Greensboro, NC and connected with teachers from across the state.  Pictured: Pedra Lee, career law clerk; U.S. District Court Chief Judge Catherine Eagles; Patti Jordan, career law clerk; Jasmine Little, career law clerk. June 2025: Courts4Civics members shared resources with judges and attorneys attending the Judicial Conference in Charlotte, NC. June 2025: Interns with the Supreme Court of Virginia visited the Fourth Circuit courthouse in Richmond for a tour and talk with Judge Gregory. September 2025: The Fourth Circuit held oral arguments at a special sitting at the University of Richmond School of Law, and judges took questions from law students after the arguments concluded.  Read more about this Court's practice of special sessions and "circuit riding." October 2025:  Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker spoke virtually with seniors enrolled in AP History at Parkersburg South High School in West Virginia.  She discussed the structure of the federal judiciary and the Fourth Circuit, how we operate and what we do.  Judge Thacker worked with teacher Ashely Smith, a James Madison Fellow, to arrange the event, and future field trips the courthouse in Charleston, West Virginia are being planned!             Let us know about your civics outreach efforts for future newsletters!

About Courts4Civics

An initiative of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Courts4Civics promotes civics education in our schools and communities, to create learning opportunities and to increase public understanding of how courts work to resolve disputes in our society and to protect our constitutional rights.

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