The play Twelve Angry Men comes to mind when teacher Timothy Chang describes how one of his 11th grade students worked doggedly to sway his classmates’ opinions during a classroom exercise featuring a mock court.
Students in Chang’s International Baccalaureate history class at Thomas Jefferson High School in Auburn played the part of Supreme Court Justices — or “The Supremes,” as Chang called them. After two days of learning about real Supreme Court cases involving freedom of speech on school campuses, they tackled a fictional case for the class assignment. One student focused on details that his classmates didn’t see and argued for the nuances of his opinion.
“What started out as his solo crusade eventually convinced a majority of the student Justices to join his opinion,” Chang said.
Chang said the Western Washington Judicial Institute, a program that gives teachers a close-up view of the U.S. judicial system, Constitution and courts, inspired that classroom lesson involving the courts. The Institute, organized by the Seattle University School of Law and the U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, is an annual training program for teachers in grades five through 12. About 580 Western Washington teachers have participated since it was created in 2012. Funding comes from the Western District of Washington Bar and Bench Fund, and there is no fee for teachers to participate.
For three days in July, up to 40 teachers gather at the U.S. District Court in either Tacoma or Seattle. The program has adapted over the years to address current issues. For instance, for the 2025 program, one addition will be to have teachers witness a naturalization ceremony. Margaret Fisher, a research professor at the Seattle University School of Law, says that many of the teachers who apply to attend the Institute confess that the courts are the area of government they know least about.
“Because they haven’t been taught it,” Fisher said. ”Other branches of government are more easily accessible.”
The judiciary is a complex web of local, state and federal courts that many Americans don’t fully understand. Yet there has been heightened attention on the courts in recent months as the Trump administration’s slew of executive orders and many other policies have been challenged through the court system. For many people — students and adults alike — it’s been a civics lesson in real time.
In the Judiciary Institute program, middle and high school teachers learn how to talk to students about the democratic system of checks and balances, the role of the judicial branch, and its impact on our constitutional rights. Fisher says there’s been more interest this year. The program received 73 teacher applications for 2025. A typical year sees no more than 50 applicants.
Chang, who participated in 2024, learned about the Judicial Institute from other teachers in his department who had taken the training. He thought it would help enhance his “History of the Americas” class, tying the court system into the history of civil rights and free speech.
“Even though I don’t teach civics directly,” Chang said, “I could have the opportunity to learn some pedagogical ways to incorporate civics into the classroom.” He also looked forward to interacting firsthand with judges, lawyers and other people involved in the judicial process.
Fisher, who has been involved in many educator programs over her 47-year career, said the Judicial Institute “is the most powerful because it takes place in the court.”
Over three days, teachers sit in a courtroom, listen to presentations about the relationship between state and federal law and learn about Supreme Court decisions. Hands-on activities include a mock voir dire and an exercise in which teachers prepare an oral argument before a 9th Circuit Court Judge.
Chang said he will never forget that exercise and the nerves he felt arguing before the judge. “It gave me a lot of respect for the process,” he said.
The Institute also allowed space for teachers and judges to interact on a more personal level. Kristina Herrin, a U.S. history and civics teacher at Snohomish High School who also attended the Institute last summer, described how the judges were “so open to having a discourse with us.” Chang appreciated being able to talk informally with judges during a dinner the Institute hosted one night, making them feel more accessible.
Teachers also learned about law enforcement. An FBI agent explained how the Bureau found the perpetrator of an attempted bombing at a 2011 MLK Day parade in Spokane. An officer from the police K9 unit performed a mock drug-sniffing exercise. Teachers observed an actual sentencing for a drug-trafficking case that also dealt with immigration and deportation. Seeing the defendant in person and the reaction from his family members was impactful.
“To be present during a hearing or sentencing helps teachers to be a much more informed citizen in a very real way,” said Fisher.
Chang said witnessing that sentencing made him understand more about immigration and deportation, issues some of his students may face at home.
At the end of three days, teachers walked away with lesson plans, knowledge of available resources and more confidence about how to engage students and reach them where they are.
“That’s what was so amazing about the Judicial Institute, how to make the judicial system at the state level and federal level relevant to students,” Herrin said.
Chang put this approach into practice in early May with his three-day seminar. Students reviewed key constitutional cases involving schools, including the famous Morse vs. Frederick case from 2007, which involved a student who displayed a sign that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” at a school event to test his First Amendment rights. “It was really funny to see the students get engaged with that one,” Chang said.
Chang said the most exciting part of the seminar was the last day when he asked students to role play as Supreme Court Justices.
“It was really interesting to get to hear the discourse as they navigated some of these thorny questions about free speech on campus,” said Chang. The challenge of making a final decision was an eye-opening experience for students and made them appreciate how many cases are decided on a narrow basis. Just one Justice can sway the law for generations.
Eleventh grader Alan Ho told Cascade PBS that the experience shed some light on the Supreme Court.
“They hold so much power to do essentially anything they want. The Supreme Court has the power to say what is wrong and right morally, and that is kind of scary and a good thing in a way,” Ho said in an email.
Chang also thought it was encouraging to see how his lessons about the court system resonated with students, particularly those who aren’t normally engaged in class. He described how one student latched on to the seminar.
“His engagement increased each day. He was one of the most voracious speakers in class. To see him dive into it was really cool to witness.”
Chang appreciated the Institute’s emphasis on elevating student voices, saying it helped him understand “our role as educators in being able to help students really find their voice in the civic square.”
Thomas Jefferson High School’s population is approximately 80% students of color and 72% low-income. Classes like Chang’s are a rich opportunity for students of historically marginalized communities to learn about the judicial system in an empowering way.
Chang experienced for himself how important civic engagement can be when Washington voters approved legalizing same-sex marriage. He was coming of age when Referendum 74 passed in 2012.
“As someone who was coming to terms with my sexual identity at that time, this was really impactful … People can make real changes that impact my life,” said Chang.
The same is true for judicial decisions. As a social studies teacher, Chang is educating a new generation of young adults about these themes. He feels better equipped to do so after participating in the Judicial Institute.
