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How to Participate: Contact Us for more information
| Participants | Program | Description of Event |
|---|---|---|
| University of Florida Criminology Students | District Court Meet & Greet | Event provides University of Florida students with an opportunity to meet judges, court staff, and members of the court family. Students hear from the court about the court and the role we each hold in the judicial process and are able to ask questions related to their studies. |
| high school students | Mock Trial | Mock trials are conducted using Federal Judicial Center mock trial packets or mock trial scenarios provided by the teacher and amended, if necessary, by the court. |
| high school students | High School Civics Outreach | A magistrate judge and U.S. Probation Office supervisor travel to local high schools to speak to students about the court and the Constitution. |
| Judges and Court Staff from the Ukraine and Russia | Open World Program/Sister Cities Program | The court provides an overview of the judiciary and answers questions posed by visiting attorneys, judges, and staff from the Ukraine and Russia through the Open Worlds and Sister Cities Programs. |
| University of Florida Legal Writing Course Students | Judiciary Career and Introduction to the Federal Court | Members of the court family speak to the students about federal judiciary careers and provide an overview of the federal court system. |
| University of Florida American Federal Government Course Students | The Constitution and the Federal Judiciary | Members of the court family speak to the students about the structure of the federal government and the federal judiciary. |
| University of Florida Students and Other Members of the Community | Bob Graham Center for Public Service Guest Speaker | A magistrate judge speaks at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service event about the federal judiciary. |
| University of Florida Students and Attorneys | University of Florida E-Discovery Symposium | A magistrate judge serves as a panelist and member of the steering committee responsible for putting on the symposium. |
| University of Florida Students | Class Action Panelist | A magistrate judge speaks to law students about class actions in federal courts. |
| elementary, middle school, and high school students | Naturalization Ceremonies | Students attend the ceremonies as observers in connection with their civics lessons and when their teachers have been naturalized. |
| America Board of Trial Advocates Members | American Board of Trial Advocates Events | The court hosts local American Board of Trial Advocates events that include tours and meet and greet sessions with the judges and court staff. |
| Court, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation Office, Senator's Office, Federal Public Defender's Office, and U.S. Attorney's Office employees and their children | Bring Your Child to Work Day | Court and court-hosted bring your child to work days include programs that allow children to tour the courthouse, visit each office, attend court proceedings, ask questions, and discuss what they've learned with judges and agency representatives. |
| law school students | Mock/Moot Court Events | Court hosted programs where judges participate in moot court events and competitions as well as mock trial events. |
| elementary and middle school students | Courthouse Tours | Court hosts tours for groups of students such as boy scouts, girls scouts, and other student groups. The students learn about the federal judiciary. |
| students of all ages | Career Day | The court sends representatives to schools and universities to discuss career opportunities within the judiciary and the very important role each position performs in the administration of justice. Students are invited to ask questions about the federal judiciary and the career opportunities discussed. |
How to Participate: Contact Us for more information
| Participants | Program | Description |
|---|---|---|
| journalists | Journalists Workshop | Print and broadcast journalists are invited to the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse in Jacksonville for a workshop on federal court proceedings. They meet District and Magistrate judges. The judges explain differences between federal and state court proceedings, the anatomy of a criminal prosecution, and the resources available for informed coverage of federal trial court proceedings. There is also a question and answer session with the judges and a tour of the courthouse. |
| journalists | Media Outreach Day | The Orlando Division hosts a program which covers legal procedures, courtroom decorum, and ethical considerations essential to covering courts. |
| middle school students | Jacksonville Arts Recognition Program | Art teachers at LaVilla School of the Arts ask their students to create a painting on a canvas provided by the Bench Bar Fund. The court provides a patriotic theme. There is a recognition ceremony at the courthouse where three to six students, selected by their teachers, present their work. A judge presents each student with a certificate of achievement. Judges take photos with the students and their works of art. |
| high school students | High School Essay Contests | The contests are held in the Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Ft. Myers Divisions. The courts invite students to submit essays in response to a law-related question. They must explain how the topic impacts them as students. A ceremony is held at the courthouse and prizes are awarded. Parents and teachers also attend. Funds for the essay contest and prizes are made possible by a grant from the lawyers and judges of the Middle District through the Bench Bar Fund Tampa winners receive an early invitation to the Annual High School Summer Law Camp hosted by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. All winners get to shadow a judge for a day. |
| students | Art Contest | The Fort Myers Division and Southwest Florida Federal Court Bar Association hold an art contest annually. The court provides the theme and students from Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and DeSoto counties participate. The judges choose the winners and prizes are awarded during a reception held at the courthouse. The students, family members, and art teachers attend. Prize money is provided by the Middle District through the Bench Bar Fund. |
| high school students | Annual High School Summer Law Camp | The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association hosts a week-long summer law camp for high school students at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse. The program is free. To enhance the learning experience, participants are provided with access to courthouse facilities including courtrooms, jury deliberation rooms, and chambers. Presentations, discussions, and workshops are led by judges and attorneys from both the private and public sectors. A mock trial concludes the program. |
| all ages | Naturalization Ceremonies | Naturalization ceremonies are held in courthouses throughout the district. The presiding judge invites local students and their teachers to witness the ceremony. The ceremony includes a color guard, speakers, and of course, the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. If time permits, a tour of the courthouse is also provided. |
| all ages | Naturalization Ceremonies at Sporting Events | Naturalization ceremonies have been held at half-time during Jacksonville Jaguars games. Held on the field, these six-minute celebrations include administration of the Oath of Citizenship and recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. A local ROTC program may present the colors. Information on naturalization is inserted in the game day programs, displayed on the Jumbotron during the ceremonies, and read from the script of the Jaguars' half-time announcer as the soon-to-be-citizens march onto the field. The Jaguars also give the new citizens three complimentary tickets to the game, parking passes, and refreshments. Applicants can finish their required paperwork and U.S.C.I.S. can process it in a reserved room which the Jaguars provide at the stadium. The court presides over similar ceremonies at other sporting events including professional baseball and soccer games. |
| all ages | Naturalization Ceremonies in Educational Settings | Naturalization ceremonies have also taken place at junior high schools, high schools, and a university. The first ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Samuel Wolfson School for Advanced Studies & Leadership. The Wolfson ROTC color guard presented the colors. Students sang patriotic music for their guests. One student served as crier to open the court. Another led the new citizens in the Pledge of Allegiance. Still others escorted an applicant to the stage and introduced them to the judge and audience noting the applicant's name and country. These ceremonies now take place at least twice per year in area schools. |
| students of all ages and their teachers | Open Doors Programs | The schedule includes a combination of various elements such as: a tour of the courthouse, lunch, question and answer session with a judge, explanation of the naturalization process, a sample test on civics and American Government containing typical questions that persons going through the Naturalization process must answer, a mock arraignment, a mock trial (Texting While Driving) and general information on the federal courts. Speakers include judges, members of the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Defender's Office, U.S. Probation Office, or U.S. Pretrial Services Office and local lawyers. |
| paralegal students | Paralegal Student Seminar | Florida State College paralegal students participated in a two-part seminar. The first part provided an introduction to the federal courts; the second part provided information regarding the paralegal's role at trial. A tour of the courthouse was also provided. District Judge Brian Davis spoke to the students and conducted a question and answer session to complete the experience. |
| summer law clerks | Summer Series | The Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association plans an educational series for summer interns and law clerks working in North Florida. The goal of the series is to introduce students to various aspects of the federal court system and help prepare them for future legal practice. Judges play a significant role in planning and making presentations for this program. |
| all ages | Constitution and Citizenship Day | The Fort Myers Division and Southwest Florida Federal Court Bar Association hold an annual celebration on the courthouse steps. The program includes a local high school color guard, naturalization ceremony conducted by a magistrate judge, remarks from dignitaries, and a reading of the U.S. Constitution by judges and other members of the community. The Preamble is read by local school children. Pocket-sized copies of the Constitution are handed out. Voter registration takes place as well. |
| students from kindergarten through high school | Open Doors | The programs are tailored to the students in attendance but often include panel discussions with judges regarding civil discourse, observing a sentencing or other hearing, a question and answer session with judges or representatives from the U.S. Marshals Service, a tour of the courthouse jail, or having lunch with judges, law clerks and members of the Orlando Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. |
| college and law school students | Open Doors | Guided courthouse tours are conducted by district judges. The students visit courtrooms and chambers. A lunch panel featuring discussions with district, magistrate, and bankruptcy judges is held. The students also observe a sentencing or other type of hearing. |
How to Participate: Contact Us for more information
| Participants | Program | Description |
|---|---|---|
| high school, college, and law school students | Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions | Students in schools in the Southern District of Florida participate in the court's Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions Program. This program brings students into the federal courthouse where they engage in discussions with volunteer lawyers and the presiding district judge. Students actively participate in discussions related to critical life skills, civil discourse, and adult decisions with permanent legal consequences. The students then participate as lawyers or jurors in a courtroom simulation using a United States Supreme Court case. The program is presented in a three-hour period and coordinated through the local Federal Bar Association’s Civics Outreach Committee. |
| law school students | Court Observer Program | This annual program provides summer associates and federal judicial interns in Miami with an opportunity to meet judges, lawyers, law clerks, and other law students. The program features a series of panels, including young attorneys, prominent experienced partners, and federal judges. |
| all ages | Naturalization Ceremonies | The Southern District of Florida holds Naturalization Ceremonies where students lead in the Pledge of Allegiance, recite the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and read letters they have written to the newly naturalized citizens. |
| law students | Judicial Intern Academy | Rising 2L students who, for personal or financial considerations, are unable to devote their summer to a full-time, 40-hour per week judicial internship, participate in a 20-hour per week internship for 8 weeks in June and July. Students are given a weekly schedule that includes remote programming and in-person observations in federal and state court. Each intern is also paired with a former federal judicial law clerk who acts as an advisor throughout the summer. |