On November 4, Deputy Chief of Mission Kevin Sullivan delivered opening remarks at the final mock trial session of the “Justice Goes to School” Program. The Association of Magistrates and Asociación Conciencia organized the event held at the Human Rights Hall of the Supreme Court of Justice. Over 200 students, judges, prosecutors and defenders participated in the session. Since 2005, the U.S. Embassy has sponsored this program that pairs judges with local schools from various provinces. This year students from the City of Buenos Aires and other provinces participated in the event.
In this program, with the support of the Embassy, judges visit schools to talk with students about how the justice system works in Argentina; i.e. the role of judges and how they carry out their duties. As part of the activities, judges present mock cases for the students to enact and resolve so that they better understand the legal system and develop more confidence in this key democratic institution.
During the event, Minister Counsellor Sullivan stated: “I know you have prepared very well, and you have been able to see that justice is not an abstract concept but a collective construction in which each citizen is called to participate, as in all democratic institutions. As the president of my nation, Barack Obama said: ‘Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history’. You will be the ones writing the next chapters in history, not only for yourselves, but for your generation and generations to come. And that is why it is so important and meaningful that you have that awareness at this young age.”
