Judge Rendell Leads Mock Supreme Court Hearing on Cyber Bullying at KOP Campus
Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, leads a mock Supreme Court hearing on cyber bullying and its legal ramifications with 50 area high school students and 10 local judges and attorneys at Arcadia University’s King of Prussia Campus on Friday, May 4.
Arcadia’s School of Continuing Studies hosts the one-day Civics and Law Academy developed for high school students, teachers, and educational leaders in cooperation with Arcadia’s Education Department, the American Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The academy is part of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Civics Education outreach.
Rendell, former First Lady of Pennsylvania, is on the ABA commission and leads the Law and Civics Academies, coordinating 10 academies such as this one across the United States. Rendell is attending along with other distinguished guests from the legal and justice community, including:
- Risa Vetri Ferman, Montgomery County District Attorney (Ferman joins Rendell in leading the mock Supreme Court session.)
- Mary L. Russell, Esq, lawyer, Cheltenham Township School District Board Member
- David Trevaskis, Pennsylvania Bar Pro Bono Coordinator and Adjunct Professor teaching education law at Arcadia University
- Andy Susko, Past President of the Pennsylvania Bar and Chair of the Litigation Department at White and Williams LLP
- Judge James J. Fitzgerald III, a Senior Justice of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
- Judge John S. Murray III, a Magisterial District Judge in Montgomery County
- Judge Elizabeth McHugh, a Magisterial District Judge in Montgomery County
- Judge Arthur R. Tilson, Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County
- Judge Garret D. Page, Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County and a member of the Arcadia University Board of Trustees
Arcadia University President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III welcomes the dignitaries, students and teachers for the citizenship academy.
About 50 high school students and teachers from the following nearby districts are participating: Boyertown Senior High School, Springfield (Del.) County, Norristown, Lower Merion High School, Allentown, Phoenixville, and Souderton Area.
Highlights of the academy include a mock Supreme Court hearing on the subject of cyber bullying—a paramount topic of discussion today in school districts across the United States as well as a special panel on “Judges on Judging.” The hearing is based on the recent Third Circuit Decision and includes students taking presenting the arguments. The hearing concludes with the student Supreme Court rendering its decision.
Arcadia University President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III
Paul Troy, President-Elect, Montgomery Bar Association
About the King of Prussia Campus: Arcadia University’s Department of Education offers master’s and graduate certificate programs at the King of Prussia Campus. Arcadia University’s School of Continuing Studies opened the King of Prussia Campus, located at 1150 First Avenue, Suite 700, in 2011, offering on-campus and online programs in an effort to better serve the undergraduate and graduate needs of the Greater Philadelphia community. The KOP Campus offers graduate degrees in Education and undergraduate bachelor’s degrees for the adult working professional in Liberal Studies and Professional Business. Arcadia’s Center for Summer Learning offers a wide array of courses at King of Prussia, Glenside and online.
About the ABA Commission on Civic Education in the Nation’s Schools: The Commission on Civic Education in the Nation’s Schools serves as an advocate for civic education in American classrooms and promotes the implementation of effective and high-quality educational programs. Twenty-one diverse and distinguished jurists, lawyers, public servants, educators, advocates and organizational leaders make up the members of the Commission. Leading the Commission’s work are Paulette Brown and Marna Tucker, longtime ABA and civic leaders. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor serves as a special advisor to the Commission.
What The ABA Commission Does: The signature program of the Commission is the Civics and Law Academy. Academies are being organized throughout the country to mobilize lawyers and judges to share their expertise, experience and enthusiasm for the law with young people. As well as encourage them to be active participants in our democratic society. To facilitate the organization of the academies, the Commission published a 20-page Civics and Law Academy Resource Guide with six distinct “Pathways to Understanding,” used as a curriculum framework. Each Pathway contains topics and suggested court cases relative to the subject matter. The Commission has furnished a free online resource with lesson plans samples for those looking to conduct a Civics and Law Academy. A free Program Directory is also available online as a clearinghouse of Civic and Law Academies around the nation.
