Calling All Artists!

The Judicial Learning Center is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025 Juries: Through the Eyes of Students art competition. This annual competition invites students from through the Eastern District of Missouri in grades 1 – 12 to use visual media to capture the right and responsibility of jury service.

First, second, and third prize entries will win cash prizes and their work will be displayed in the Jury Assembly Room on the 1st Floor of the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse.

Complete contest details can be found on our website – Student Art Competition. The contest website also includes resources for students and teachers to learn and teach about juries.

Don’t delay! March 31 is the final day that entries will be accepted!

The Case of the Litterbug

On December 16, twenty-five fourth graders from New City School in St. Louis arrived at the courthouse to continue a tradition that dates back more than 20 years. Without knowing anything more than court etiquette, the students prepared to be jurors, witnesses, and attorneys. They were here to try a (fictional) case against one of their fellow students who was observed littering in the community garden.

The Preparation

The day began with orientation in the Jury Assembly Room. The jurors learned about their duties during and after the trial. The attorneys prepared their witnesses with a little help from adult mentors. The prosecution was ably assisted by Assistant United States Attorney Nauman Wadalawala, while the defense attorney teamed up with New City School parent volunteer (AKA – “Dad”). When the attorneys were prepared, the group headed to the courtroom.

The (Mock) Trial

The case was presided over by U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Mensah. After the jury was sworn in, they carefully listened to opening statements by both sides and then the evidence against the defendant. Once closing arguments concluded, the jury went into deliberation and found out just how difficult it is to reach a unanimous consensus. At the end of the day, the defense won an acquittal!

Chat with Judge Mensah

After the case ended, the students had the opportunity to chat with Judge Mensah. They were especially curious about what happens when a jury cannot agree, but their questions touched on topics ranging from how she became a judge to how she emerges from the wall. Of course, no visit to the Thomas F. Eagleton federal courthouse is complete without a trip to the 28th floor to get a bird’s eye view of St. Louis AND to the first floor for a scavenger hunt in the Judicial Learning Center.

Bring your class to learn more about our Federal Courts

That’s a wrap!

Students in the Fall 2024 cohort of The Supreme Court and My Hometown finalized and presented their capstone projects on December 10, 2024.

Program Background

In the fall of 2024, the Courts in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted another term of The Supreme Court and My Hometown, the national civics program of the Supreme Court Historical Society. This initiative engages high school students in a thorough study of the process and substantive issues of a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in a unique and personalized way. Participants learn how the Judicial Branch interacts with the other two branches of government and their roles and responsibilities as active citizens. A distinguishing feature of this program is the focus on Supreme Court cases that originated in the students’ hometowns and local courts.

Twenty high school students were selected for the after-school program which featured Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, a landmark First Amendment student speech case. The program began with a 2-day orientation in July and continued after school on most Tuesdays throughout the fall semester.

The Legal Community Helps Out

Working with local attorney mentors, the students studied First Amendment law and every aspect of the case – from its trial in the Eastern District of Missouri, to oral arguments in the Eighth Circuit, to analyzing the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States. Participants learned from first-person case participants and legal experts throughout the term and were able to demonstrate new skills through realistic courtroom simulation activities.

Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark, Eastern District of Missouri presided over a courtroom simulation during which the student teams presented evidence and mock closing arguments in a trial courtroom.

U.S. Circuit Judge Raymond W. Gruender, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, coached the student-justices and presided as Chief Justice during the moot court of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier.

Creating the Capstone

For the capstone project, the students conducted oral history interviews with participants in the case, including the three plaintiffs, as well as local and national experts, to develop an archive of voices discussing the significance of the case. Short sections of the interviews will become permanent additions to the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier exhibit created by the 2023 cohort of Hometowns students, currently on display in the Judicial Learning Center. The student groups presented their capstone projects to the court family on December 10, 2024 at the closing celebration.

Click here to view the 2023 capstone project on exhibit in the Judicial Learning Center.

Local Students Take Top Prizes in Bill of Rights Day Contest!

Out of more than 300 entries, three St. Louis area students were grand prize winners in the annual Bill of Rights Day Contest.  The contest was sponsored by the Federal Courts in the Seventh and Eighth Circuits.  Students were challenged to submit artwork (including visual art, poetry, songs, and multimedia works) or essays that answer the prompt “What is a right in another nation that you would like to see added to the United States Constitution?”  Thirty-nine students from around the ten states were selected as finalists, winning $50 Amazon gift cards.

The Fifth Annual Webinar

Contest participants joined three federal judges on December 4 to participate in a webinar event to talk about the Bill of Rights.  U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly (Eighth Circuit), U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood (Northern District of Illinois), and U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy (District of South Dakota) explained how they interact with the Bill of Rights in their daily work as judges and what those rights mean to them personally.  During the chat portion of the event, they took questions from students and teachers reflecting on their individual pathways to the bench and offering inspiration to the next generation of citizens.

Grand Prize Winners

After the discussion with the judges, the Grand Prize winners were announced.  From the thirty-nine finalists, eleven students were selected for the Grand Prize of $500.  Caroline Zimmerman and Arnav Anilkumar, both from Chesterfield, were part of a four-way prize for first place in the 7th – 8th Grade Essay category.

Read Caroline’s essay here.

Read Arnav’s essay here.

In the category of 11th – 12th Grade Art, Yuhan Deng of St. Louis took the top prize.  Yuhan’s work is featured in this post.

Read Yuhan’s artist statement here.

Local Teacher Wins

Students were not the only winners in the annual contest!  In recognition of the essential value that teachers provide in ensuring a strong democracy, the event included a teacher drawing as well.  Teachers received a drawing entry for each student who participated in the contest.  Chad Harmon, an art teacher from St. Louis Public Schools was one of three winners of a $100 Amazon gift card.

Congratulations to Caroline, Arnav, Yuhan, and Mr. Harmon!

If you would like to see all of the winning entries, click here.

On June 21, six Juniors from Troop 769 arrived at the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse ready to earn their “Go Inside Government” patch.  Little did they know that by the end of the day four of them would be in an Eighth Circuit Appellate courtroom arguing a First Amendment case.  Two of them were delighted to find themselves elevated to the Bench and tasked with issuing an opinion!

Exploring the Tinker v. Des Moines exhibit with Rachel Marshall, Director of Civics Education

During the morning, the Scouts learned about Judicial Branch when they met the Honorable Sarah E. Pitlyk, federal judge for the Eastern District of Missouri.  They also learned about careers in the courts from three law clerks and a United States Probation Officer.  Over lunch, they examined what it means to be informed and involved in their community.  They visited the Tinker Exhibit in the Judicial Learning Center and looked at local news stories.  They learned about Mary Beth Tinker’s armband protest of the Vietnam War and her First Amendment case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court.  Then they made some informative posters of their own.

Junior attorneys for City of Ladue preparing arguments with mentor Sona Patel.

With that background knowledge, the Juniors worked with attorney mentors to reenact another local First Amendment Case – City of Ladue v. Gilleo.  With their coaches, the Attorney Teams laid out their best arguments for their sides and prepared to address the questions they might face from the judges.

Junior judges anticipate oral arguments with mentor Suzanne Moore

At the same time, the Judge Team considered the arguments that the attorneys might present and crafted the questions that they would ask during oral argument.

Junior attorneys for Margaret Gilleo preparing for oral argument with mentor Melissa Cosgrove.

As in real life, Margaret Gilleo’s First Amendment rights were protected by the Junior Judges, but the attorneys for the City of Ladue demanded an immediate appeal to the Supreme Court.

It is safe to say that these Juniors were very much Inside Government!

Is your Girl Scout Troop interested in learning more about the Judicial Branch of Government?