Indiana Teachers Gain First-Hand Look at State Court System

A partnership between the Foundation and the Indiana Court of Appeals allowed 14 Indiana teachers from across the state to have a rare opportunity to watch an Oral Argument in person, hear from the participating attorneys, and have lunch with Court of Appeals judges. This is the first-of-its-kind professional development workshop sponsored by the Foundation. Educators also toured the historic Indiana Statehouse, participated in civics learning activities with two judges, and learned about lesson plans and other resources available through the Foundation’s civic education program.

Participating judges in the oral argument included Foundation Board Member the Hon. Elizabeth Tavitas, former Board Member and 2023 Foundation Champion of Civil Legal Assistance award recipient the Hon. Melissa May, and the Hon. Robert Altice. Teachers were asked to share a unifying message with their students: the concept of being adversaries but not adversarial. Those in attendance also agreed that opportunities like today’s professional development and court-sponsored outreach, including the nationally award-winning Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civic Education, are critical to students and adults understanding of how the US legal system works.

Learn more about the Foundation’s Civic Education programs here.