West Virginia State Bar’s Board of Governors is excited to announce its participation in the National Constitution Center’s (NCC) Scholar Exchange Program. The NCC is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan organization chartered by Congress in 1988 to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States Constitution, to serve as a platform for constitutional education and debate. The NCC Scholar Exchange Program gives students, primarily in middle and high school, the opportunity to discuss constitutional topics with a lawyer or judge, enabling them to gain deeper constitutional understanding and engage in
enhanced civil discourse. Each discussion is designed to promote balanced and civil dialog. During the academic year that just concluded, the Scholar Exchange Program reached 15,052 students in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The educational sessions included topics such as the Constitution’s articles establishing the branches of government, the Bill of Rights, Civil Rights and Liberties, Federalism and the Separation of Powers, and the Electoral College.
As officers of the court and, thus, part of the judicial branch, members of the West Virginia State Bar have a “special responsibility” for the quality of justice.”[i] “In addition, a lawyer should further the public’s understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system because legal institutions in a constitutional democracy depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority”[ii]
Further, the West Virginia State Bar is guided by the
objects and purposes set out in its own constitution to protect the interests of the public, advance the administration of justice and the science of jurisprudence, and improve the relations between the public and the bench and the bar.[iii]
We are experiencing a time in our country’s history when action must be taken by attorneys to ensure that the administration of justice and our legal institutions remain strong and resilient, by attending to their special responsibility to educate and inform the public. While State Bar members may hold different viewpoints about the decisions or actions of public officials, we are united by our standards of professional conduct and oath as an attorney to support and defend the rule of law and the justice system. Participation in the NCC Scholar Exchange Program is an action that the State Bar’s Board of Governors believes will be an investment that promotes participation in our democracy into the future, while advancing the Bar’s mission and furthering students’ understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system. The State Bar Board of Governors calls upon all State Bar members to
support implementation of the NCC Scholar Exchange Program in West Virginia schools by volunteering as program scholar.
More information about the NCC Scholar Exchange Program and
instructions for participating can be found on the State Bar’s website here: https://wvbar.org/national-constitution-center-scholar-exchange/
