Students at high schools in Chelsea, Fall River, Southbridge,
Springfield and Worcester are participating in the Massachusetts
Bar Association's Law Day Initiative during the month of May
focused on the topic: "No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom."
"This unique program is critical because it provides young
people with an understanding of the role of law and courts in our
society," MBA President Richard P. Campbell said. "This knowledge
is necessary to fully understand the importance of a functioning
court system, which is currently in jeopardy without proper funding
from the state." Volunteer attorney/judge teams from the MBA are
visiting classes at each school and presenting a lesson involving a
fictional case, which challenges a state's guidelines for providing
free attorneys to criminal defendants. The program teaches students
how the adversarial court system works, how the courts review the
constitutionality of legislation and about the 6th and
14th amendments.
The following is a list of participating schools:
- South High School, Worcester
- High School of Commerce, Springfield
- Renaissance School, Springfield
- Diman Regional Vocational Tech High School, Fall
River
- Southbridge High School, Southbridge
- Springfield Central High School, Springfield
- Claremont Academy, Worcester
- Chelsea High School, Chelsea
- The SABIS International Charter School, Springfield
- Cathedral High School, Wilbraham
- Worcester Technical High School, Worcester
- North High School, Worcester
The MBA is appreciative of the Massachusetts Judges
Conference for its assistance in recruiting volunteer judges for
this endeavor.