With three days until the end of the Institute, or two days until our final paper is due, most of us are in finalizing mode: either our papers are done or one good read away from it. It is a satisfying relief, probably more so than after turning in the first paper, because we know that we are done for good. It is however, leading to the realization that we are almost done for good. While we are ready to be home, I believe that we all value what we have here, and I know that I personally will miss the intellectual immersion that I have experienced here at Georgetown.
But before we go, we had our last trip today. For the first time, the Foundation took the Fellows to the US Federal Court in Washington DC. In this trip, we met with the Administrative Office and their representatives who specialize in teacher trainings. In today's session, we learned strategies for doing mock trials with our students, and got a lot of resources from the Federal Courts. But the highlight was that several of us got to participate in a mock trial. We went to the attorney's tables, and went through the facts and the scripts they provided. We got to present before a federal court judge, Chief Judge Royce Lamberth (and by Chief, I mean head judge of the District Court that serves DC), and then respond to his rapid fire questions. I don't think I am the only one that felt intimidated, but we all did a great job. Kudos to Steph, May, Christopher and Pete for their victory, and a valiant effort to Bill, Stu, and Jennifer for their efforts!
After the trial, Judge Lamberth took some questions from us. He talked about the Clemens trial (of which he did not preside over, but ate lunch with the judge that did) and how they handle jurors who fall asleep. But the greatest story for me was about a case that he oversaw that shows how our court system works. Here is his story:
A couple of years ago, President Obama's White House changed the rules regarding using stem cells for research purposes. However, Congress had passed a law that said you cannot conduct research that would kill an embryo. This seemed to be a clear violation of the law. However, the two men that brought the lawsuit against the administration did so because under Congress's law, they had a better shot of competing for grants and getting money. Judge Lamberth heard the arguments, but dismissed the case because according to the law, you must show that you were injured in order to bring a suit. There was no proof that the two men were injured, because they may or may not have won a grant anyway, therefore the case was thrown out. The men appealed to the Appeals Court, which overturned Judge Lamberth saying that the competition for money was sufficient to prove standing. So he reheard the case. This time he ruled in favor of the two men, because the administration's actions violated the law. The government appealed the case. The Appeals Court ruled that the law in question was ambiguous, and that in a case of ambiguity, one must side with the executive. So the case was brought back to his court room for a third time. This time he ruled in favor of the government, and the case is being appealed once again. He said that he hopes they don't overturn him a third time, otherwise they are back to square one.
Now, many of you reading this will think that this is a waste of government time and resources, and the answer seems clear. But I look at this and am comforted to know that these attorneys and judges are some of the best at their jobs, and they put a lot of time and energy into these cases in order to ensure that the laws are applied and ruled fairly.
This was definitely something I can implement in my class this year.
MEET THE FELLOWS: May Wong is our fellow from Washington state (I get a kick out of hearing "state" every time she introduces herself, but I understand that while in DC, she has to differentiate). She is one of the funniest Fellows here, as she often reminds us ("I'm the funny one"). Her quick wit and great sense of humor has had us rolling with laughter. But before you think of her as soft, she is quick to step up and defend one of us. On the night of Fireworks, I was standing in a spot where I could see. About that time, a guy walked up and stood right in front of me. While I was in shock at the nerve of the guy, May jumped in and pointed out his indiscretion. As it turns out, he was trying to signal someone a floor below us, and he quickly moved out of the way. However, if his intent was to stand in front of me, I think May made him think differently. Thanks May!!
TOMORROW: Class, and then I get an opportunity to meet my Congressman, and maybe get a Gallery Pass to watch the House of Representatives in action.
No comments:
Post a Comment