To commemorate the day our Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution, the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association (SAYLA), in conjunction with the San Antonio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), presented a program entitled "Constitution Day: The American Juror" to Constitutional Law students at Fox Tech High School on October 5 th. The program was made possible through a grant funded by TYLA. Judge Rene Diaz (224 th Judicial District Court of Bexar County ) spoke to the students with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “The History and Importance of Our Jury System” to impart to our future leaders how unique and vital are the liberties guaranteed by our Constitution.
September 17 th was recently designated as “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” by the Office of Innovation and Improvement of the Department of Education pursuant to legislation from Congress. As a way to commemorate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and to qualify local high schools for federal funding, SAYLA, FBA and TYLA together created a program to educate local high school students about the various aspects of the U.S. Constitution. This year's focus was on the American juror system, with particular emphasis on the important role of a juror, tips for serving as a juror, and the overall trial process.
Judge Diaz (224 th District Court) took time out to present a customized PowerPoint presentation entitled “The History and Importance of Our Jury System,” which explores the modern day trial system and our right to an impartial jury trial. Judge Diaz believes reaching out to San Antonio students is crucial. “ By informing students about how important jury service is to our system of justice ” he said, “ hopefully we can inspire more confidence in our entire legal system – that is certainly our goal .”
In addition to Judge Diaz's presentation, Sylvia Cardona of Langley & Banack, as regional director of TYLA and also representing SAYLA, and Casey Seitz of FBA, presented a TYLA media production titled “The American Juror: The Decision Is Yours.” The video is currently used by several Texas courts and is both entertaining and informative. It explains the process of jury selection and service in Texas . As part of the presentation, the students each received goodie bags and pocket-size copies of the Constitution of the United States . Other SAYLA members in attendance include President, Bryan Lopez, President-Elect, David Evans and Director, Louis Agnese.
Through the American Juror program, students at Fox Tech High School gained not only a vital historical perspective of their constitutional rights but a deeper understanding of exactly what those rights are and how they are exercised. Because almost every American will be called to serve as a juror at some point in his or her life, this program aims to equip high school students with information regarding their all-important role in our justice system and the modern-day trial process. By educating local students on the basic principles of jury duty and the jury selection process, this program also worked to debunk the most common misconceptions young adults have regarding the role of a juror.
For more information on this program, please contact Sylvia Cardona at scardona@langleybanack.com , or Casey Seitz at casey.seitz@hklaw.com .
