Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave
In July 2025, judges in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York and the District of Connecticut welcomed more than 300 high school students from Long Island, New York City and the surrounding suburbs, and Hartford to week-long Summer Justice Institute (SJI) programs. The SJI is one of the signature programs of The Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative, the Second Circuit federal courts’ civic education project, which then-Chief Judge Katzmann launched in 2014 to expand public understanding of the role and operation of the federal courts.
The SJI consists of several components that combine to educate students about and explore legal careers within the federal legal system. Students hear from federal judges, law enforcement agents, prosecutors, defense attorneys, attorneys in private practice, and law professors. Students learn about the speakers’ career paths and their respective roles in the justice system. Presenters also included individuals who had experienced the criminal justice system and been wrongfully convicted, and shared their stories of endurance, faith, and determination. A highlight of the program is also the opportunity to observe a naturalization ceremony, during which dozens of applicants took the oath of office and became new American citizens. Finally, students learn basic trial advocacy skills from experienced practitioners to prepare for and compete in a mock trial competition on the final day of the program.
Judge Joseph F. Bianco, formerly a district judge in the Eastern District of New York and now a circuit judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, coordinated the SJI programs this summer in the Central Islip and Brooklyn courthouses, with support from the Federal Bar Association’s Eastern District of New York Chapter and Touro Law Center.
Judge Bianco created the SJI in 2016 after seeing the positive impact of students’ class field trips to the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan. He believed that it was possible to change students’ lives through a week-long program that would introduce them to the law, the courts, and the dedicated public servants in the federal court system. Judge Bianco observed that the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students “has confirmed our vision” that the SJI become a “transformative experience for so many students.” He added, that, “by informing the students to careers in the legal profession, equipping them with basic advocacy skills that they can use to be a voice for the voiceless, and introducing them to speakers who will inspire them to be the best person they can be whether in the legal profession or whatever their passion in life will ultimately be, we are planting seeds in the next generation that we know will blossom in wonderful and different ways, including ways that we could never imagine.”
IN NEW YORK
U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan and U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave coordinated the fourth annual SJI program in the Southern District of New York in the Manhattan federal courthouses, with key financial support from the Federal Bar Foundation and the Southern District of New York’s District Executive’s Office. Among the presenters were U.S. marshals, Secret Service agents, FBI special agents, Department of Homeland Security K-9 officers, assistant U.S. attorneys, federal defense attorneys, a law professor who spoke about the Miranda warnings, and a former NFL player who is now a lawyer in private practice. Law students who were interning for Southern District of New York judges mentored the students through preparations for their mock trial competition on the last day of the program, which also featured a naturalization ceremony.
Judge Cronan expressed that “it has been an honor to continue Judge Katzmann’s vision and his appreciation of the importance of civic education by introducing these impressive and motivated students to our country’s justice system[,]” and fully expects that he will see many of the students in his courtroom in the future.
One student participant commented that she had “learned so much from this program and [] will be recommending it to people.” Another observed that the presenters were “passionate about the work that they do,” and expressed that, through the program, she strengthened her public speaking and collaboration skills.
IN CONNECTICUT
This past summer, the District of Connecticut hosted the third annual Hon. Warren W. Eginton Justice Institute at the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala spearheaded this newest SJI program, named for longtime District Judge Warren W. Eginton, who had a deeply rooted commitment to public outreach and civics education. The District of Connecticut, in partnership with the Federal Bar Council, and with the support of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Collaborative for Diversity, the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association, the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut, and the Federal Practice Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, welcomed 24 students from 18 towns and cities across Connecticut for the weeklong camp held July 14-18, 2025.
During the Hon. Warren W. Eginton Justice Institute, students toured the courthouse, observed a sentencing and a naturalization proceeding, learned from civil and criminal attorneys, conducted a mock jury selection, met with the Connecticut bomb squad and a K-9 unit, visited the Connecticut Supreme Court, and met with the U.S. Marshals Service. Several judges and court staff participated in events throughout the week, as panel moderators and speakers, mock jurors, and in other roles. As Judge Nagala describes, the goal of the program is to “enhance[] students’ understanding of the role of the Judiciary in ensuring justice for all.”
Among the highlights for the students are the relationships they build with the law student intern coaches participating in the court’s summer internship program. Additionally, they are mentored by a talented Justice Institute alum who, with the support of the Federal Bar Council, is invited to return to the camp as a court intern.
On the final day, the students were ready for their mock trial presentations looking their best in part thanks to the professional clothing they chose from the Justice Institute Clothes Closet. The Clothes Closet is filled with gently used professional wear donated by court staff and available to the students at no cost. At the conclusion of the week, several students remarked that the only thing they would change about the camp is that it is only offered for one week.
With the many presenters, real live court proceedings, and mock trial prep, a 2025 participant explained how the program had given her a taste of the field of federal legal practice, which was her planned career path. Another student participant remarked that the program helped her improve her confidence in public speaking. “It’s important that the judiciary connects with the people it serves,” said Judge Nagala, and by reaching students from across the state of Connecticut, the program is making lasting connections with the Connecticut community.
Each of the SJI programs depends for its success on the support of the presenters, who willingly take time out of their summers to speak with the students, personnel in each of the courthouses, who make sure that the programs run smoothly, and the many bar groups, including the Federal Bar Foundation, that provide critical financial support. The organizers and Justice for All look forward to the SJI programs in 2026 and to expanding the initiatives to other courthouses in the Second Circuit.