This spring, three judges who have served as pilot speakers for presentations created by the Supreme Court of Missouri’s civic education committee taught a 50-minute session to judges attending the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges annual meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks on March 25, 2015. Their goal was to show the assembled judges the kinds of presentations available from the civic education committee and to encourage them to volunteer to deliver these presentations.
Judge Gary Lynch of the Missouri Court of Appeals provided an overview of how these presentations were developed and tried to inspire the judges by explaining ways they could use the presentations in their communities.
“Citizens are eager and need to hear from judges because of the unique view we offer into what they perceive as the most mysterious branch of government,” Judge Lynch said. “The civic education committee seeks to encourage, assist and train judges in filling this need by developing high-quality, easy-to-use presentation materials and putting them in the hands of judges.”
Montgomery County Judge Kelly Broniec, who piloted a program for grade school children titled “Mean King George,” and Judge Robert Clayton of the Missouri Court of Appeals, who piloted a program directed at adult civic clubs titled “The Challenge of Deciding Tough Cases: The Battle of Skokie,” each walked through their respective presentations for the group. They not only familiarized their audience with the substance of the materials, but they also gave constructive information about how to deliver these presentations effectively.
Judge Broniec said her objective was to demonstrate how painless the process can be.
“My goal was to show judges how easy the civic education committee has made it to give a 20-minute or so presentation to a school class or a civic club,” she said. “The slide shows not only look great, but they also have great content for the audience. A small amount of time can go a long way to help educate kids and the general public about our courts.”
For Judge Clayton, this kind of involvement is an important part of being a member of the judiciary.
“Judges have an obligation to play an active role in explaining our place in the American system of government,” he said. “Informed citizens are vital to make democracy thrive. I hope the Battle of Skokie demonstrates how courts function and how cases can become quite difficult to decide.”
Jefferson County Judge Lisa Page, chair of the pilot speaker subcommittee, explains why she wanted Judges Broniec, Clayton and Lynch to be involved in this presentation.
“These three have demonstrated great success presenting in our pilot speakers program,” she said. “Though each has a different style, all three have wonderful communication skills that I believed would inspire their audience members to make these presentations in their communities.”
Please contact Civic.Education@courts.mo.gov if you are interested in having a judge make a presentation to your organization or if you are a judge who is interested in piloting and/or presenting a final presentation.