Federal Court Welcomes San Diego Area Teachers

The Southern District of California recently held its first teacher institute, inviting more than two dozen San Diego area educators to the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and United States Courthouse for a day-long workshop focusing on understanding the judicial branch and the work of the courts.

The “Court Connection” program included presentations by Senior District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller, District Judge Janis L. Sammartino and District Court Clerk Sam Hamrick. Judge Miller’s judicial assistant, Kathleen McMahon-Walford, helped organize the program and served as liaison to the San Diego Unified School District. The teachers were recruited by the school district’s social studies coordinator, Matt Hayes.

The visiting teachers were able to observe actual sentencing hearings before Judge Sammartino and participated in a mock trial before Judge Miller. They also learned about voir dire and available civics education resources.



Teachers participated in the Court Connection program to learn about the federal judicial system.