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2023

2023 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

PRESS RELEASES
 
June 7, 2023: Civics Contest Winners Announced

May 2, 2023:
District Level Winners Announced

2023 Winning Video Entries

2023 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

2022

2022 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

The First Amendment and the Schoolhouse Gate: Students’ Free Speech Rights
2022 Winning Video Entries

PRESS RELEASES
 
June 2, 2022: Civics Contest Winners Announced                      
 
May 13, 2022: District Level Winners Announced

2022 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

2021 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

2021
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PRESS RELEASES
 
June 29, 2021: Civics Contest Winners Announced                      
 
May 27, 2021: District Level Winners Announced

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2021 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

 District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

FIRST PLACE

SECOND PLACE

THIRD PLACE

2020

2020 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

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2020 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

 District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

2019

2019 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

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2019 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

 District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

2018

2018 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

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2018 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest 

 District Level and Circuit Level Contest Winners.

2017

2017 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

Young people from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Washington have been selected the winners of the 2017 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, an educational outreach effort sponsored by the federal courts.


“Not to Be Forgotten: Legal Lessons of the Japanese Internment” was the theme of the contest,
which focused on the incarceration of Japanese-American citizens at the outset of World War II and
its relevance today as our government seeks to protect the nation from terrorism. Students were
challenged to write an essay or produce a short video focusing on legal decisions which sought to
strike a balance between national security and civil rights at a time of great uncertainty.

More than 1,000 young people entered the contest, which offered cash prizes, an opportunity for travel, and a chance to meet some of the nation’s preeminent jurists and legal practitioners. 

 

Read more >>

2016 Essay & Video Contest

2016 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

2016

Young people from Arizona, California and the United States Territory of Guam have been selected the winners of the 2016 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, an educational outreach effort organized by the federal courts of the western states.

The contest, which was open to high school students in nine western states and two Pacific Island jurisdictions, focused on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona. The 1966 ruling requires that persons in the custody of law enforcement officers be informed prior to questioning of their constitutional rights to remain silent and to have an attorney present during interrogation.

Students were challenged to write an essay or produce a short video on the topic. Teams of up to three students were allowed for video production. All told, more than 700 students entered the contest, which offered cash prizes and a chance to meet some of the nation’s preeminent jurists and legal practitioners.  Read more >>

2016 Essay & Video Contest

2015 Ninth Circuit Essay & Video Contest

2015

All told, 303 students from 45 high schools in the greater San Diego area participated in the contest. Essays and videos were reviewed by panels of federal judges, attorneys, law clerks, staff attorneys and educators recruited from the Southern District and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Final judging panels picked 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in both contests plus two honorable mentions in the writing competition. The winners will receive generous cash prizes while all participating students will receive a commendation recognizing their efforts.

 

We are extremely pleased with the success of this effort to better inform young people about our democracy, particularly the judicial branch. Our thanks to the federal bench and bar, court and circuit staff, the San Diego educational community and the many others who contributed to this very worthwhile endeavor.

2014 Essay & Poster Contest
2014

2014 Ninth Circuit Essay Contest

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy met with first place winner Giovanna Mitchell

Megan Holett of Carmel Highlands and Makena Ehnisz of Carmel, the fourth and second place contest winners, respectively, were recognized during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.

District Judge Janis L. Sammartino with Makena Ehnisz

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Giovanna Mitchell with her mother, Moira Hogan

CIVICS CONTEST WINNERS RECOGNIZED AT NINTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL CONFERENCE

 

The opening session of the 2014 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference proved to be a night to remember for three of the winners of a high school essay contest sponsored by the Courts and Community Committee and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

 

Giovanna Mitchell of Santa Cruz took first place in the contest, which focused on the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  Makena Ehnisz and Daniel Orlov, both of Carmel, finished second and third, respectively, followed in fourth place by Megan Holett of Carmel Highlands. All of the winners received cash prizes and an invitation to the circuit conference, which was held July 14-17, 2014, in Monterey.

 

Giovanna, Makena and Megan attended the opening session, where they were acknowledged from the stage by U.S. District Judge Robert A. Jones of Seattle, chair of the conference planning committee, and showered with applause from an audience of hundreds of lawyers and judges.

 

Later in the evening, they were among the many fans to have their pictures taken with famed actor and director Clint Eastwood, who had been invited to the conference by Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, a noted film buff. Megan also was among the lucky few to win a poster featuring a scene from one of Eastwood’s movies, "Gran Torino," which was screened during the evening.

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