School & Community Outreach

Outreach

Education

Supreme Court LIVE

Color of Justice

Upcoming Program

The Color of Justice 2024 program will be held November 14-15, 2024 in Anchorage. Registration is required.

Introduction

The Color of Justice is a law-related education program founded by the National Association of Women Judges that is designed to promote diversity in the legal profession and judiciary by encouraging diverse youth to consider careers as lawyers and judges.

Participants in Color of Justice 2023 program in Sitka
Color of Justice 2023 high school program held at the Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka.

On November 16th and 17th, students from Mt. Edgecumbe High School attended two days of workshops and other activities presented by Alaskan judges, attorneys, and law professors. The program is sponsored by the Alaska Court System, Alaska Native Justice Center, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Alaska Bar Association, Alaska Federation of Natives, Gonzaga University School of Law, Seattle University School of Law, University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Washington School of Law.

The event featured activities that creatively engaged high school students. Sessions included:

Constitutional Cranium - a quiz show on Alaska constitutional knowledge featuring actual Alaska supreme court decisions;
MentorJet: A Speed Mentoring Experience - where students met with diverse lawyers, judges, and justices, including professors from participating law schools, and representatives from Native organizations;
Mock trials - Volunteer attorneys and judges coached and oversaw simultaneous mock trials where students had the chance to learn more about the role of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and jurors in a mock criminal case;
Tribal Justice Quest - New to the program in Sitka were interactive lessons created and run by the Alaska Native Justice Center;
You be the Judge - exercise in walking through decision making, focuses on laws affecting youth.

Color of Justice Video (hosted on YouTube)

Questions? Contact Mara Rabinowitz at 907-264-8293 or Rebecca Koford at 907-264-8570.

Perspective Matters - COJ Poster 2019
Perspective Poster

Sponsored by:
National Association of Women Judges
Alaska Bar Association
Alaska Court System
Alaska Federation of Natives
Alaska Native Justice Center
Anchorage School District
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Council on Legal Education Opportunity
Gonzaga University School of Law
Law School Admission Council
Northwest Indian Bar Association
Perkins Coie LLP
Rotary Club of Anchorage East
Seattle University School of Law
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Washington School of Law

iCivics

Learn about your government…the fun way!
www.icivics.org

Alaska Court System 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, Mara Rabinowitz, at 907-264-0879 or mrabinowitz@akcourts.gov.

Law Day

Law Day 2024

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 2024 Law Day theme “Voices of Democracy” recognizes that in democracies, the people rule. For nearly 250 years, Americans have expressed their political views and wishes by speaking their minds and voting in elections. In 2024, the United States will hold its 60th presidential election, and Americans will address fundamental questions about democracy and the rule of law.

For more information about Law Day in your community, contact your local clerk of court or the Area Court Administrator of your judicial district.

For more information about Law Day in general, visit the American Bar Association website at www.lawday.org.

Opportunities in Law-Related Education

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.

Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education Committee

You can check here for updates, or contact Mara Rabinowitz and Rebecca Koford for more information at
media@akcourts.gov or 907-264-8293 or 907-264-8570.

Success Inside and Out Program

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.

Success Inside and Out program returns to women’s correctional facility (November 3, 2023)

Supreme Court LIVE

Upcoming Programs

Nome, November 4, 2024
Case Materials for Supreme Court LIVE in Nome

Introduction

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 was held at Lathrop High School’s Hering Auditorium in Fairbanks on February 6, 2012 before high school students from across the Fairbanks area. Two days later, on February 8, 2012, the program returned to West High School in Anchorage for a third time. On October 29, 2012, the court traveled to Sitka and held argument at Mount Edgecumbe High School which was attended by students from both Sitka high schools. The court traveled to Barrow to hold argument on October 3, 2013 before the entire student body of Barrow High School. In February of 2014, the program was held at West High school, and in November of 2014, the court held argument at Ketchikan High School. In its first excursion to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, the Alaska Supreme Court heard oral argument at Colony High School in Palmer on October 19, 2016.

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.

Students from any school may participate through use of the material 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 Clerk of Appellate Courts, Meredith Montgomery.

Educational Materials

General information about the legal system and appellate process

Case Materials

Specific information about the cases argued at Supreme Court LIVE