Eastern District of Tennessee
At the recommendation of the Sixth Circuit Civics and Outreach Committee that all district courts in the circuit establish Civics and Outreach committees, the Eastern District of Tennessee established its Civics and Outreach Committee. The committee was charged with the responsibility of overseeing the district’s efforts at civics education and outreach to the community. It is composed of district judges, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, court staff, law clerks, Federal Bar Association members, ABOTA members, local law school and university representatives, and others.
The committee saw Constitution Day, Monday, September 17, 2018, as an excellent opportunity for public civics education and outreach. The Committee decided to undertake a district-wide initiative to observe Constitution Day and involve the public. The project entailed a public reading of the Constitution during lunch hour on Constitution Day in each of the three staffed divisional courthouses. Once the idea was adopted, it was passed down to the division civics and outreach subcommittees. The subcommittees were given considerable leeway as to how they wished to implement the public reading.
The subcommittees approached the idea with great enthusiasm and cooperation. The public readings were tailored to the particular circumstances of each courthouse.