This summer Courts4Civics hosted three teachers’ institutes across the Fourth Circuit, collaborating with local civic coalitions, judges, educators, and the public to provide teachers with resources to take into the classroom. Each institute created a unique opportunity for teachers to interact with and learn from judges, judiciary staff, and historians.
The first teachers’ institute of summer 2025 was held in North Carolina. As federal judges and attorneys made their way to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Courts4Civics was kicking off its first North Carolina-based teachers’ Institute. Courts4Civics collaborated with the North Carolina Civics Coalition and Generation Nation to host a half-day teachers’ institute at the Western District of North Carolina Courthouse in Charlotte on June 24, 2025. The partnership between the three groups provided teachers with civics-based teaching resources, a tour of the courthouse, observation of real court proceedings, and an opportunity to speak with several federal judges.
Teachers heard from a variety of court employees including the Clerk of the Western District of North Carolina, Katie Simon, Judge Ashley Austin Edwards, Chief Probation Officer Barbara Carrigan, and Librarian Mary Susan Lucas.
The program concluded with a panel of three judges in the Historic Potter courtroom who participated in a question-and-answer session with teachers: Fourth Circuit Judges James A. Wynn and Barbara Milano Keenan, and Magistrate Judge David C. Kessler. These judges discussed their backgrounds and engaged in conversation arising from the many questions posed by the teachers.
In July 2025, Courts4Civics hosted two teachers’ institutes, one in Richmond, Virginia, and another in Morgantown, West Virginia. Richmond-area educators collaborated with the federal court and a local museum for civics-focused professional development day. On July 22, 2025, Virginia-based educators stepped out of the classroom and into the Virginia Museum for History and Culture learning center for a morning of educational development focused on deepening teachers’ understanding of constitutional principles, civic responsibility, and the role of the courts in our government. Civics Connects is a comprehensive civics resource for Virginia teachers and students, bringing SOL and national standards lessons, resources, and support to the classroom. This was the second year for this co-hosted event.
After hearing from Justice William Mims from the Supreme Court of Virginia and Billy Peebles, Interim Head of School at Collegiate School, on “Lincoln, the Rule of Law, and Civics Education,” the teachers made their way to the Lewis F. Powell Courthouse for an overview of the federal court system and a courthouse tour. The teachers were joined by Fourth Circuit Judges Roger Gregory and Barbara Milano Keenan, and U.S. District Court Judge John Gibney, where they discussed fundamental principles of the judicial branch of government and answered questions.
On July 24, 2025, educators from across West Virginia gathered at the West Virginia University College of Law for a day long teachers’ institute. Gathered in the moot courtroom, teachers learned more about the role of federal judiciary, the role of civics in education, and the law school. July 24th kicked off with an overview of the federal court’s role in our government and hearing from Jennifer Bundy from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on their state court civics programming. Other presenters included the Interim Dean of the College of Law, Susan Brewer, and Mary Claire Davis, Teaching Associate Professor, who welcomed teachers and shared information about the state’s flagship law school.
Teachers also heard from members of the Northern District of West Virginia Drug court, Magistrate Judge Michael J. Aloi, U.S. Probation officer Jill Henlin, Assistant Public Defender Beth Gross, Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Rhee, and Alcohol & Drug Counselor Jacqueline Snider. The panel described the drug court’s unique ability to offer alternatives to incarceration for certain drug offenders who follow an intense program of rehabilitation and reintegration. Judge Aloi stated, “we deal with the most personal aspects of people’s lives, and that’s why civics education is so important.”
The event concluded with a question-and-answer session with educators and Fourth Circuit Judge Barbara Milano Keenan and Magistrate Judge Michael Aloi. Judge Keenan shared that she wants students to “understand the protections the law gives them, but also the consequences when they break the law.” And that “we want to show students that judges are real people, compassionate, fair, and deeply committed to the rule of law.”
For more information about hosting a Teachers’ Institute please reach out to civics@ca4.uscourts.gov or visit Courts4Civics.