WBA Judicial Council Update  (Continued from page 1)

The students ranged in age from five to ten and included black, Asian, Hispanic and white students who were interested in the presentations by Judge Jennifer Long, Judge Claudia Crichlow, Judge Caryn Hines, Judge Avril Sisk (Retired), Judge Fred Carney, Judge Audrey Jenkins, and Judge H. Alex Manuel.

According to Judge Manuel, the students were “remarkably mature and interested in the subject matter,” which included a Power Point presentation and discussion of African-American historical figures from the field of law. The students were also provided with pictures and brief biographies of each person.  Among the featured leaders in the law were well-known figures Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall and Johnnie Cochran. The students also learned about other leaders, particularly those with a Washington, D.C., connection such as:

• Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, who graduated from high school in D.C., became the first African- American woman in the U.S. to obtain a Ph.D.   She later went on to become the first woman to receive a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, and was the first National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
  
• Hon. H. Carl Moultrie I was the first African-American Chief Judge of the D.C. Superior Court.  The Courthouse is named after the judge.
  
• Spottswood William Robinson III was the first African-American appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and became the first African-American to become Chief Judge of the court.
  
• Constance Baker Motley was the first African-American woman ever to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, in Meredith v. Fair.  She successfully won James Meredith's effort to be the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi.   

But the judges did not just talk about history.  They also shared stories about their experiences with the students. One student asked Judge Manuel how old he was and when he responded that he was 55, the entire class let out a loud gasp and all you could hear was “wow, oh my God!” The program was clearly very interactive and effectively engaged the students.

Also participating in the program at Thomson were Clint Gerdine, Attorney Advisor, Office of General Counsel, United States International Trade Commission; Lalita Hamilton, Primary Patent Examiner, Business Methods, United States Patent and Trademark Office and Law Student, Catholic University; Monica Moran, Law Student, George Washington University School of Law; and Janell Smith, Staff Attorney, District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings.

The 2010 program at Thomson is the third year that the Judicial Council has planned outreach activities at the school.

Summer Interns receive notices of acceptance

More than 40 first and second year law students have been accepted for the 2010 Judicial Internship Program which begins at the end of May.  The program begins with orientation and then the students begin eight weeks of work in the chambers of Judicial Council Members on the D.C. Superior Court, the D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings, U.S. District Court and numerous federal agencies.  Judicial Council Members interested in hosting an intern for the summer are urged to contact Judge Karen Aileen Howze, D.C. Superior Court, no later than March 15, 2010.

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