News

PA Supreme Court to Host a Teacher Institute on the Judiciary Philadelphia Area Teachers to Attend Day of Civics Education

March 04, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, March 5, 2009 - The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and First Lady of Pennsylvania Judge Marjorie O. Rendell will host a "Teacher Institute on the Judiciary" on Friday March 6, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the chambers of the Supreme Court in Room 456 of City Hall. Media coverage is invited. Approximately 30 to 40 teachers are expected to attend an intensive and interactive day of learning and discussion about the state and federal courts and constitutions (see attached schedule of events). Speakers will include Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille; Judge Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Judge John E. Jones III of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Judge C. Darnell Jones II, former president judge of Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, now a member of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The goal of the Teacher Institute is to promote greater emphasis on civics education in the classroom and to foster a better understanding of the role of the courts and the judiciary in a democratic society. Teachers from Philadelphia, Norristown, Glenside, Media, Rosemont, Langhorne, Lansdale and other communities in the Philadelphia area have registered to participate. One of the highlights of the program will be a 1:10 p.m. mock Supreme Court argument. Participants will include Supreme Court Justice Jane Cutler Greenspan, Superior Court Judge Correale F. Stevens, Commonwealth Court Judge Doris A. Smith-Ribner, President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe of Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, Philadelphia Bar Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov, and former Pennsylvania Bar Association president Andrew F. Susko. The Teacher Institute is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the court's Judicial Independence Commission and the Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy (PennCORD), a partnership of the Governor's Office of the First Lady, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the National Constitution Center and the state Department of Education.