Civic Education Program Has Successful Second Year
By Donna S. Tamanaha • Photos by Ken Rabiroff

Operation Protect and Defend, a three-part program of civic education in local high schools, recently completed a successful second year.

Author Mark Curriden, center, discusses his book Contempt Of Court with two students at McClatchy High School.

This year’s program began in early March with lectures by Mark Curriden, author of the book Contempt Of Court, at McClatchy High School, Luther Burbank High School and Sacramento High School. The lectures were followed in mid-March by the Dialogue On America, in which teams of Sacramento judges and attorneys visited classrooms in several high school government classes. The third part of the program was an essay contest on the themes raised by the book. The essay contest winners, their teachers, and their families were honored at a Law Day Awards Dinner on May 4 at the Sutter Club featuring a keynote address by Sacramento Fire Chief Julius Cherry. (Editor’s Note: View Excerpts from Chief Cherry’s remark.)

The text for these education activities, Contempt of Court, is layered with issues. Curriden vividly portrays the events in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1906 beginning with the rape trial of Ed Johnson, an innocent man, the filing of a habeas corpus petition on his behalf, then the lynching of Ed Johnson in the face of an order by the U.S. Supreme Court to stay Johnson’s execution, specifically ordering Sheriff Shipp to protect Ed Johnson pending their review. Curriden further chronicles the first and only ever criminal contempt trial prosecuted by the U.S. Supreme Court against the sheriff, his deputies, and the lynch mob.

About 25 judges and 50 lawyers visited government classes at McClatchy, Rio Americano, Kennedy, Luther Burbank, Hiram Johnson, Sacramento, and Valley as part of the Dialogue On America.

This is the second year of the program. With the sponsorship of the Sacramento County Bar and Federal Bar Association and support of many bar associations, including ABAS, as well as guidance and enthusiastic support from local teachers, the program has made a difference.

The participants in this year’s Dialogue on America were:

At McClatchy High School: Judges - Allen Sumner, Arthur Scotland, Russell Hom, Frank C. Damrell, Jr., William Shubb, Emily E. Vasquez, Tim Naccarato, and Connie Callahan; Lawyers - Professor Fred Galves; Tonie Darling, Joanne Lowe, Joan Stone, Jim McFetridge, Jodi Rafkin, Linda Waits, Brian Taugher, David Pickett, Bion Gregory, Bruce Timm and Ben Wagner.

At Rio Americano High School: Judges - Jim Mize, Peter Nowinski; Lawyers - Geoff Margolis, Joe Chavez, Barbara Sheldon, Niromi Wijewantha, Tom Caso, Alf Brandt, Larry Kazanjian, June Coleman, Ken Newman.

At Kennedy High School: Judges - Dale Drozd; Lawyers - Wanda Rouzan, David Keyser, J. Scott Smith, Benjamin Wagner, David J. Neill, Dee Brown, Joanne Lowe. At Luther Burbank High School: Raoul Thorbourne, Geoff Margolis, Larry Brown, Melissa Jones, Kymberly Smith, Michael J. Levy, Keith Staten, Dee Johnson, Mary Grad, and Philip Ferrari.

At Hiram Johnson High School: Judges - Ray Cadei, Kim Mueller, David Abbott; Lawyers - Jeanlaurie Ainsworth, James Kachmar, Hal Thomas, Craig Lundgren, John T. Kennedy.

At Sacramento High School - School of Public Service: Judges - Morrison England, David De Alba; Lawyers - Chris Calfee, Heather Candy, and Jay-Allen Eisen.

At Valley High School: Judges - David Abbott, Gregory Hollows; Lawyers - Rick Lewkowitz, Bruce Kilday, Donna Tamanaha, Chris Krueger, Michelle Rodriguez, Krista Dunzweiler, Patricia Tsubokawa Reeves, Mary Alice Coleman.

Going to high schools and engaging the youth in discussion about these issues was rewarding and highly educational (for the lawyers and judges as much as for the students). If you are interested in participating in the program, please contact Robin Taylor at (916) 930- 4500, because the Steering Committee is gearing up for next year’s program.