Justice250: Conversations on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

On Friday, March 13 at 10 am in the auditorium the Constitutional Democracy Project is cosponsoring a program that is part of Justice250: Conversations on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Justice250 is a statewide civic education initiative designed to connect Illinois students/community members with members of the judiciary through community conversations about the rule of law, the courts, and the democratic ideals of the Declaration of Independence as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary. Members of the Chicago-Kent community are invited.

Justice250 is being developed through a partnership that includes the Illinois Democracy Schools Initiative, the Constitutional Democracy Project, the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, the Illinois Judges Association, and the Illinois 250 Commission.

This particular program will serve as a kick-off event and is being co-hosted by the Constitutional Democracy Project and the Illinois Democracy Schools Initiative. It will bring together high school students and teachers from Chicago Public Schools with members of the judiciary to talk about the role of courts in a constitutional democracy and how the ideals of the Declaration of Independence continue to shape our legal system.

The event features a panel conversation featuring:

• Justice Elizabeth Rochford, Illinois Supreme Court
• Justice Cynthia Cobbs, Illinois Appellate Court and a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Judge Ankur Srivastava, Supervising Judge, Cook County Circuit Court Pre-Trial Division

The judges will discuss their paths to the bench, the role of courts in upholding the rule of law, and the importance of civic understanding and participation among young people.

We hope will this will be a meaningful conversation for students about law, democracy, and citizenship.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Dee at drunaas@illinoistech.edu