Each year, the Alaska Court System works with legal organizations and educational groups to foster law-related education in our state. The Alaska Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Anchorage Bar Association and other groups offer excellent educational programs that help students better understand our legal system and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Whether you are an educator, parent or student, we hope you will explore these opportunities for civic engagement and learning, which include iCivics, Supreme Court LIVE, Color of Justice, Law Day, and the Alaska High School Mock Trial Championships.
You can check here for updates, follow us on Facebook or Twitter at "CivicsAlaska", or contact Barbara Hood, Communications Counsel, Alaska Court System, for more information, at bhood@appellate.courts.state.ak.us or 907-264-0879. Thank you!
The 50th Anniversary of Alaska Statehood also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Court System. The Alaska Bar Association and the Alaska Court System co-sponsored the Alaska Legal History Series in honor of this milestone, which featured presentations by prominent lawyers and jurists on the early days of our justice system. The presentations were filmed and are available for viewing by contacting Deborah O’Regan, Executive Director, Alaska Bar Association, at 272-7469 or oregand@alaskabar.org.
Featuring Doug Pope, Talis Colberg, Joe Josephson, and Judge Karen Hunt (Ret.), plus audio passages from actual debates at Alaska’s Constitutional Convention, 1955-56. Presented October 22, 2009. (43 slides, 17.6 MB)The 50th Anniversary of Alaska Statehood also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Court System. The poster exhibit
The Alaska Court System: Celebrating 50 Years
commemorates the occasion with a photo retrospective highlighting key people and events in the court’s history, from Statehood to the present day. The exhibit will be on display at courthouses statewide throughout the year, and teachers are welcome to print it for use in their classrooms.
Accompanying the exhibit is a Quiz
that is drawn from information on the posters and designed for use in classrooms and at participating courthouses.
Teachers interested in courthouse tours or classroom speakers during the Alaska Court System’s 50th Anniversary year should contact their local clerk of court.
For other questions or further information about 50th Anniversary commemorative events, please contact coordinator Barbara Hood, 907-264-0879, bhood@appellate.courts.state.ak.us. Thank you for helping celebrate the court system’s first 50 years!
(89 pages - 4.7 MB)
(72 pages - 2.4 MB)From 2003-2008, the Alaska Court System sponsored the Alaska Teaching Justice Network, a coalition of educators, lawyers, judges, youth leaders, legislators, agency officials and others dedicated to advancing law-related education [LRE] in our state, which was supported by Youth for Justice, a program to promote law-related education funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.
Alaska Civic Learning Assessment Project. In 2004, the ATJN secured a small grant from the national Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools to undertake the Alaska Civic Learning Assessment [ACLA] Project, an effort to survey the current state of K-12 civic learning in Alaska and to assess the civic knowledge and experiences of Alaska's youth. In November 2006, the ATJN published Advancing Civic Learning in Alaska's Schools: Final Report of the Alaska Civic Learning Assessment Project
. The report details ten recommendations for improving the state of civic learning in Alaska.
Alaska State Legislature's Citizen's Advisory Task Force on Civics Education Policy. In May 2007, in response to the ACLA Report, the Alaska legislature established a Citizen's Advisory Task Force on Civics Education Policy. The Task Force was charged with reviewing the ACLA report and making recommendations to the legislature regarding its implementation. (See Resolution establishing the task force
.) The Alaska Court System was represented on the Task Force by the longtime coordinator of the Alaska Teaching Justice Network. In January 2008, the Citizen's Advisory Task Force published its Final Report and Recommendations
, which makes four main recommendations:
The Task Force presented its report to the legislature in February 2008.
The Color of Justice program brings diverse youth from across the state together for exciting workshops and activities designed to introduce them to the study of law and to encourage them to consider legal and judicial careers. In October 2012, a two-day COJ high school program was held at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. On February 14, 2013, "MentorJet: A Speed Mentoring Experience" was held on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage. And on June 10-11, 2013, the tenth annual high school program
will be held at UAA and the Anchorage Courthouses. Color of Justice programs are FREE, but space is always limited, so register early!
Summer 2013 High School Program. The tenth Southcentral COJ high school program will be held June 10-11, 2013, at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Anchorage courthouses of the Alaska Court System. Highlights will include "MentorJet: A Speed Mentoring Experience," "Meet the Pioneers, Greet the Future," which introduces pioneering Alaskan women and minority judges and youth who aspire to follow in their footsteps; and the ever-popular mock trial.
Flyer
and Registration Form
for the Summer 2013 High School Program
Questions? Contact Margaret Newman at 907-264-0864
Valentine’s Day 2013 "MentorJet: A Speed Mentoring Experience" at UAA.
UAA students interested in legal careers met with Alaskan judges and attorneys for a session of ‘speed mentoring’
on Valentine’s Day in the UAA Consortium library. Here, Mentor Nevhiz Calik Russell, an Assistant Attorney General in Anchorage, meets with students. UAA Provost Elisha "Bear" Baker and Chief Justice Dana Fabe of the Alaska Supreme Court welcomed students to the event.
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The 2011 COJ High School Program was held in Anchorage, June 22-24, 2011. Here, participants gather with Anchorage judges at the close of the "Meet the Pioneers, Greet the Future" workshop in the Alaska Supreme Court Courtroom. |
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The second COJ program in Southeast was held October 29-30, 2012, at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. That agenda
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Sponsored by:
National Association of Women Judges
Alaska Bar Association
Alaska Court System
Alaska Federation of Natives
Alaska Native Justice Center
Council on Legal Education Opportunity
Gonzaga University School of Law
Law School Admission Council
Northwest Indian Bar Association
Perkins Coie LLP
Seattle University School of Law
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Washington School of Law
Learn about your government…the fun way!
www.icivics.org
Alaska’s Chief Justice Dana Fabe invites Alaska’s young people to learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship the fun and effective way, through a new online program available for FREE at www.icivics.org. iCivics is a new web-based education project founded by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.) to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. Alaskan educators and their students are encouraged to visit the website and check out the games, web quests and other great resources for civic learning. If you would like to have a judge or attorney visit your classrooms to present an iCivics activity, please contact the Clerk of Court at the courthouse nearest you or the court’s statewide Judicial Outreach Coordinator, Barbara Hood, at 907-264-0879 or bhood@appellate.courts.state.ak.us. Thank you!
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.), founder of iCivics, visited Anchorage on September 5, 2012, to promote the program. Here she meets with principals and teachers from the Anchorage middle schools that participated in the 2012 "iCivics Middle School Challenge." With Justice O’Connor in the front row are (starting 2nd from left): Hanna Sebold, President, Alaska Bar Association; Justice O’Connor; Chief Justice Dana Fabe, Alaska Supreme Court; and Justice Walter Carpeneti, former Alaska iCivics Chair (2010-2013).
 2013 Art Contest Poster, Category K-4 |
 2013 Art Contest Poster, Category 5-8 |
Announcing the WINNERS of the 2013
Justice for All ART CONTEST!!
The "Justice for All" Art Contest asked students to submit two-dimensional artworks on the theme "Fairness, Diversity, Equality: Our justice system depends on them. What do they mean to you?" The contest received over 90 entries from K-8 students from all across Alaska. Finalists were selected by members of the court system’s appellate staff, representatives from the Alaska Bar Association’s Law-Related Education Committee, and members of the Alaska Supreme Court’s Fairness, Diversity & Equality Committee and Access to Civil Justice Committee. The contest sponsors would like to extend special thanks to Perkins Coie LLC for donating the contest prizes. We also wish to congratulate the contest winners, and to thank all of the entrants for their wonderful works of art, which inspire us to ensure that fairness, diversity and equality continue to be vital values of our justice system.
Members of the Alaska Supreme Court’s Fairness, Diversity & Equality Committee and Access to Civil Justice Committee, along with representatives of the Alaska Bar Association’s Law-Related Education Committee, gather with art contest entries in the Supreme Court Courtroom during the contest judging, which was held April 5, 2013. Included among the judges were Chief Justice Dana Fabe, Chair of the FDE Committee; Justice Peter Maassen, Chair of the ACJ Committee; Judge Eric Smith, FDE Co-Chair; Judge Mark Rindner, ACJ Co-Chair.
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First Prize, Category Grades K - 4: Maia Cowan, Grade 4, |
First Prize, Category Grades 5 - 8: Emilia Helms-Leslie, Grade 7, |
Please Note: The artists' names are linked to photos of their artwork.
The Artists' Statements are in PDF format.
MAIA COWAN, Grade 4, IDEA, Petersburg Artist's Statement
ZIYE WANG, Grade 3, Anne Wien Elementary School, Fairbanks Artist's Statement
NICOLE SMITH, Grade 3, Delta Elementary School, Delta Junction Artist's Statement
CATEGORY B: GRADES 5-8
EMILIA HELMS-LESLIE, Grade 7, Barnette Magnet School Fairbanks Artist's Statement
RAFAEL BITANGA, Grade 6, Kodiak Middle School, Kodiak Artist's Statement
CORA DOW, Grade 5, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, Sitka Artist's Statement
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS FOR THEIR
BEAUTIFUL, CREATIVE ART WORKS!
AND SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE WONDERFUL ARTISTS
FOR REMINDING US OF THE IMPORTANCE OF
FAIRNESS DIVERSITY & EQUALITY
TO OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM!
Prizes Made Possible Through Generous Support From:
Perkins Coie, LLP
For more information: bhood@appellate.courts.state.ak.us; 907-264-0879
Law Day, which is celebrated every year on May 1, is a special day focusing on our nation’s heritage of liberty under the rule of law. This national day of celebration was officially designated by joint resolution of Congress in 1961. The national theme of Law Day 2013 is "Realizing the Dream: Equality for All." Across Alaska, local courts commemorate Law Day in a variety of ways—through visits to schools, community events, or courthouse tours and mock trials. More information about Law Day and this year’s Law Day theme may be found at www.lawday.org.
At the end of the 2012 Law Day Luncheon, held at the Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center in Anchorage, former Chief Justice Walter Carpeneti (4th from right) visits with Anchorage Middle School principals and teachers whose schools took part in the "iCivics Middle School Challenge." The 2013 Law Day Luncheon will be held on May 15, 2013, in Juneau, during the annual Alaska Bar Convention and Judicial Conference. |
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Dr. Terrence Cole, Professor of History at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, presented the keynote address The Wrong Man? The Legacy of John Adams, the First Lawyer-President at the 2011 Alaska Law Day Luncheon. The luncheon was held in conjunction with the annual Alaska Bar Convention and Judicial Conference in Fairbanks on May 4, 2011. Here, Prof. Cole joins members of the Alaska Bar Association’s Law-Related Education Committee at the close of the luncheon, L-R: Barbara Jones, Chair, LRE Committee; Prof. Cole; and UAA Justice Center Professor Deb Periman, LRE Committee member. |
For more information about Law Day in your community, contact your local clerk of court or the Area Court Administrator of your judicial district. Area Court Administrators are:
For more information about Law Day in general, visit the American Bar Association website at www.lawday.org.
OPEN COURT is a judicial outreach program initiated by the Alaska Court System in February 2007 that brought former Chief Justice Dana Fabe and former Administrative Director Stephanie Cole together with members of the justice community and the public for discussion and problem-solving on specific topics of mutual concern. OPEN COURT sessions took place in most of the fifteen superior court locations in the state between 2007 and 2009. Each local court was asked to select the focus of OPEN COURT in their community.
The goal of OPEN COURT was two-fold. First, the program sought to identify practical solutions to the challenges facing the justice system by creating a forum for discussion, identification of best practices, and consensus-building among the decision-makers involved. Second, the program aimed to foster greater public understanding of our justice system and the role of courts in addressing community problems. To address these goals, the program format was divided into two parts: a work session for justice professionals and policymakers followed by a reception for the public at large.
OPEN COURT forums resulted in practical recommendations for timely action by the court system or legal community. For example, the main recommendation from the Juneau session was to establish a mental health court on a trial basis, and plans for a Juneau mental health court were shortly underway. In Ketchikan, the community decided to develop an educational team on the risks of juvenile substance abuse, drawn from the courts, the legal community, and public safety officials. The team plans to visit schools and youth organizations throughout the region. Sitka OPEN COURT participants identified the need for greater information and training about unbundled legal services as one of the best ways to address the rise in self-representation, and as a result the Alaska Bar Association sponsored a workshop on the issue during the fall of 2007. All OPEN COURT events promised comparable outcomes for improving the administration of justice.
An Anchorage OPEN COURT work session on felony case delay, held May 8, 2008. |
The Success Inside and Out program was founded by Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe to help incarcerated women prepare for the transition to life outside prison. Since 2006, the program has sponsored annual conferences at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center near Anchorage to provide information and support to women inmates prior to their release from prison, with the goal of improving their chances of success in the community. Since 2008, the program has also been presented annually at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. At both locations, volunteer professionals offer workshops on topics that range from securing housing and employment to managing finances and maintaining healthy lifestyles. Motivational speakers, music, and ever-popular luncheon fashion shows round out the conference activities. Co-sponsors include the Alaska Court System, the Alaska Bar Foundation, and the National Association of Women Judges.
SIO founder Justice Dana Fabe welcomes participants to the 2010 conference. |
Corrections officials attending the 2010 SIO Conference included, L-R: Hiland Mountain Correctional Center Superintendent Dean Marshall, Alaska Commissioner of Corrections Joe Schmidt, Sandra Schmidt, and Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Carmen Gutierrez. |
Anchorage District Court Judge Pamela Washington takes part in the 2010 conference. |
Anchorage District Court Judge Catherine Easter moderated the plenary panel "Probation Success Factors" at the 2010 SIO Conference. Panelists included, L-R: Judge Easter; Barbara Brink, Federal Defender Agency; Laura Grist, Probation Officer; and Heather Nobrega, Assistant District Attorney. |
Success Inside and Out 2006 (Anchorage Daily News article)
Success Inside and Out Conference 2010
For more information about the Success Inside & Out program, please contact coordinator Brenda Aiken at baiken@courts.state.ak.us, or 907-264-8266.
Justices of the Alaska Supreme Court gather at the close of the February 2011 Supreme Court LIVE program with members of the West High School We the People team and student ROTC program, who served as ushers and time keepers for the event. Members of the court include (front row, L-R): Justice Morgan Christen, Justice Dana Fabe, Chief Justice Walter Carpeneti, Justice Daniel Winfree, and Justice Craig Stowers.
In February 2010, the Alaska Supreme Court launched a new educational outreach program, Supreme Court LIVE, to bring oral arguments in actual pending cases to student audiences at Alaskan high schools. Designed to help students better understand our justice system, this unique learning opportunity debuted at West High School in Anchorage on February 19, 2010, before 400 high school students from across the Anchorage School District.
The second Supreme Court LIVE program was held at Juneau-Douglas High School on Constitution Day--September 17, 2010—before 600 students from both JDHS and Thunder Mountain High School. The third program was held February 24, 2011, at West High School in Anchorage before 700 students from seven area high schools. The fourth program will be held at Lathrop High School’s Hering Auditorium in Fairbanks, and all Fairbanks area high schools are invited to participate (date to be announced).
Keys to the success of the program are the advance visits to classrooms by volunteer attorney teams. Attorneys provide both an overview of the legal system and appellate process and an in-depth review of the specific cases to be heard. As a result, students come to the arguments prepared and engaged, and leave with a good understanding of the process and the issues at stake.
The Alaska Supreme Court plans to present Supreme Court LIVE once each year in Anchorage and once every other year in Juneau and Fairbanks. Participation by students from other communities is also possible through use of the materials below and replay of the arguments on KTOO’s statewide Gavel to Gavel program. Interested teachers may also obtain recordings of the arguments to play in their classrooms as described below. Schools, teachers or attorneys interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to contact the program coordinator Barbara Hood in Anchorage, at 264-0879 or bhood@appellate.courts.state.ak.us. Thank you.
| Rev. 18 April 2013 © Alaska Court System www.courts.alaska.gov |
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