COURTHOUSE VISITS

We encourage school groups and community organizations to visit our courthouses to learn firsthand about the work of the court from the judges and staff of the courts. Listen to our judges discuss their vital role in our government. Listen to presentations about the history of our courts and the architecture of our courthouses. Hear presentations from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Pre-trial and Probation Offices, and Federal Defenders. Ask questions about all these matters and immerse yourself in our interactive exhibits. Visitors, including but not limited to high school law, social studies and advocacy classes take physical and virtual tours to learn about and view:

• Courthouse history, facts, photos
• Explanations of famous cases
• Educational resources about jury service
• Video interview with court jury administrator
• Video interviews with jurors
• Interactives

Learn more about the federal courts in the Second Circuit here.

Jury service

We are exploring the development of circuit-wide educational outreach projects concerning the importance of jury service. The District of Connecticut recently completed such a program involving a successful collaboration with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (“CBIA”), a statewide organization representing businesses and employers, to promote jury service to employers and employees in Connecticut. The collaboration included the recording of interviews with two recent federal jurors about their experiences, as well as an interview with the District of Connecticut’s jury administrator, who provided information to employers and employees about jury service. With the promotional assistance of the CBIA, the interviews were run as public service announcements on local radio stations, distributed to all CBIA members, and have been posted on the District of Connecticut’s website. We hope to develop similar outreach programs about jury service at other courts within the circuit.