In November 2026, the 1L class at the University of Dayton School of Law in Dayton, Ohio hosted the first Ohio law school session of Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions (known as “CD3”), a civics and civility program, with U.S. District Judge Michael Newman, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Silvain, Jr. and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Tyson Crist, all of whom sit in Dayton. CD3 was created by two federal judges in the Southern District of Florida: Judge Robin Rosenberg (now the Director of the Federal Judicial Center) and Judge Beth Bloom.
On July 20 and 21, 2026, 43 high school students from Ohio’s Miami Valley attended the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio’s third annual Dayton Student Justice Institute (DSJI). The DSJI is a civics court seminar where students are immersed in criminal and civil law, constitutional issues, and instructed in the civility practiced in federal courts nationally. This year, students heard presentations from United States District and Magistrate Judges, the Clerk of Court, federal prosecutors and public defenders (including the United States Attorney and the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Ohio), federal agents, U.S. Deputy Marshals, Pretrial Services Officers, and faculty and the Dean of the University of Dayton School of Law.
Teachers at the 2026 U.S. District Court Teachers’ Institute in Dayton pose with Judges Newman, Silvain and Gentry.
The Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse was filled with educators on Friday, March 6, 2026, as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio hoted its 2026 Teachers’ Institute.
More than 40 teachers from eight Ohio counties gathered in Dayton for a day of civics education designed to help them bring the complexities of the federal judiciary into the classroom. The program provided an opportunity for educators to engage directly with federal judges, law clerks, and legal practitioners to better understand the judiciary.
Here’s a photo from our Dayton Civics Court Camp – yesterday, day one – the criminal day. Today is the civil day. It was a very successful undertaking and I was honored to be part of it!
On Monday, July 7, 2025, the Bankruptcy Court in Dayton hosted a group of high school students participating in the Law & Leadership Institute to discuss the bankruptcy system and becoming a bankruptcy judge. Also participating were former Bankruptcy Judge Guy Humphrey (now Master Docent of historic courthouse tours, which he gave afterward), Chapter 13 Trustee John Jansing, Chapter 13 Trustee’s Counsel Erin Renneker, Attorney Walter Reynolds (Porter Wright), and Kelly Johnson (Coolidge Wall).
Magistrate Judge Caroline Gentry and Judge Michael Newman welcomed Girl Scouts, from the Girls Scouts of Western Ohio, to learn about the Third Branch; meet judges, law clerks, and court staff; witness a naturalization ceremony; and attend a financial literacy program with newly-installed Bankruptcy Judge, the Hon. Tyson Crist. Girl Scouts travelled from Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio - along with Dayton-based Girl Scouts - to attend and participate in this civics education event.
On March 11, Judge Parker from the Montgomery County, Ohio Common Pleas Court, and Judge Newman from the U.S. District Court in Dayton, talked to two high school civics classes at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Ohio. The judges discussed judicial elections (Judge Parker) and appointment (Judge Newman); difficult trials; life as a lawyer and judge; and recusal.
On March 10, 2025, Judge Angelina Jackson from the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, and Dayton Bar Association president, Judge Michael Newman, from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, together met with 90+ students at Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio. After hearing from Judge Jackson and Judge Newman about their work in the state and federal courts, respectively, the students asked a wide-ranging series of questions concerning, among other topics, civil and criminal cases, recusal, life as a judge, and work-life balance. It was a great event. Many of the students plan to come to the Common Pleas and Federal Court this summer to job shadow both Judge Jackson and Judge Newman.
On March 4, 2025, Holland & Knight partner Andrew Lowenstein traveled from West Palm Beach, Florida to Dayton to meet with federal judges from both Dayton and Columbus - along with bar leaders from the Dayton Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association Dayton chapter - to teach them how to do the “Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions” civics scenario utilized by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington, D.C. Thereafter, the judges, law clerks and bar leaders engaged in a three- hour civics presentation and oral argument session by the students with high school students from the Dayton STEM School.
Oakwood, Ohio – January 10, 2025: U.S. District Court Judges from the Southern District of Ohio came together to educate Oakwood City School’s eighth grade and high school students about civics, the court system, and careers in law. Led by U.S. District Judge Michael Newman, the initiative featured a naturalization ceremony and included Magistrate Judges Peter Silvain, Jr. and Caroline Gentry along with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Guy Humphrey.
This October and November, judges in Dayton are meeting with Dayton Public School students. Here, Magistrate Judge Michael Newman and Senior District Judge Walter H. Rice pose with DPS students from Belmont High School.
October 9, 2024 – Judge Michael Newman and Magistrate Judge Peter Silvain from the U.S. District Court in Dayton, Ohio along with Montgomery County, Ohio Juvenile Administrative Judge Helen Wallace meet students from Belpre High School.
On July 8 and 9, 2024, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio held, in the Dayton seat of court, its first-ever civics court camp for high school students - what the court calls the “Dayton Student Justice Institute.”
More than 40 high school students from throughout the Dayton region heard from United States District Judges and United States Magistrate Judges; career and term federal law clerks; Richard Nagel, the Clerk of Court; Joseph Medici, the Federal Public Defender; Assistant U.S. Attorneys; Assistant Federal Public Defenders; and representatives from U.S. Pretrial Services and U.S. Probation.
On June 26, 2024, Judge Michael Newman and Magistrate Judge Caroline Gentry met with law student externs - from the U.S. District Court and from Legal Aid of Western Ohio - as part of the Southern District of Ohio’s continuing civics education outreach efforts.
The Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, at Dayton
A Review of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Academic Years
by
Michael Rhinehart, Esq.
Career Law Clerk to Judge Michael Newman
In 2016, the Hon. Michael J. Newman, United States Magistrate Judge with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Dayton, Ohio, became National President of the Federal Bar Association. In that role, Judge Newman sought to supplement and expand civics education beyond classrooms and into federal courtrooms across the country. At the heart of this National Civics Initiative was an effort to encourage elementary, middle, and high school students to meet with Federal Judges and lawyers in order to gain a better understanding of the court’s role in our system of government from those who work in the courts every day.
In his courtroom in the Dayton, Ohio Federal Courthouse, Judge Newman hosted civics students from Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Ohio.
Four teachers from Tippecanoe High attended the morning session including teacher Randy Sentman with whom Judge Newman has appeared on the Cincinnati Public Radio station, WVXU, to talk about civics education in the Southern District of Ohio.
The students heard presentations from Judge Newman, career law clerk Mike Rhinehart, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koller, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Ivan Garcia. A number of topics were covered in the three-hour session including federal jurisdiction, the structure of the federal courts, separation of powers, state versus federal courts, criminal and civil cases, trials, mediations, the Judiciary Act of 1789, and the history of the Southern District of Ohio.
Earlier this week, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio held its first-ever Teachers’ Institute civics education program in the Dayton seat of court. Teachers from throughout the Dayton community spent two days learning about criminal cases (on Day 1) and civil cases (on Day 2).
In addition to hearing from multiple federal judges and participating in a mock trial with the assistance of law firm counsel, the teachers heard from representatives of the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Pretrial Services and Probation. United States Marshall Michael Black and Federal Public Defender Joe Medici also spoke to the teachers.
March 2019: Judge Newman and his career law clerk, Mike Rhinehart, met with students from National Trail High School in New Paris, Ohio. ATF agents also explained their law-enforcement role to the students and did a presentation. First Assistant United States Attorney Vipal Patel also discussed the history and current role of the United States Attorney’s Office.
This October and November, Judge Newman and his chambers staff are speaking to Dayton Public School students from all six DPS high schools. Here, Judge Newman and his career law clerk Mike Rhinehart pose with DPS students from the David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center along with Kelvin Glover from U.S. Probation and Marie Sebatware from U.S. Pretrial Services.
This October and November, judges in Dayton are meeting with Dayton Public School students. Here, Magistrate Judge Michael Newman poses with students from Thurgood Marshall School.
On November 7, 2018, Judge Newman and his law clerks Mike Rhinehart and Taylor Gamm met with multiple third grade classes at Five Points Elementary School in Springboro, Ohio. They discussed the three branches of government, the role of a federal judge, and civil versus criminal cases. Here, Judge Newman, Mr. Rhinehart, and Ms. Gamm pose with Ms. Loch’s third grade class.
On October 19, 2018, students from Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio near Dayton visited the Federal Courthouse for a morning court camp to hear from the federal judges and meet court personnel. Some of the students pose with Judge Michael Newman, his career law clerk Michael Rhinehart and term law clerk Taylor Gamm, and two representatives from the Dayton Bar Association who attended the event – Executive Director Sally Dunker and Steven Tyler Wright.
Judge Michael J. Newman of the Southern District of Ohio with Career Law Clerk Michael Rhinehart and Teacher Randy Sentman during a visit by Judge Newman and Mr. Rhinehart to Mr. Sentman’s high school civics class in Tipp City, Ohio on March 20, 2018. Judge Newman and Mr. Rhinehart met with multiple different civics classes taught by Mr. Sentman to teach the students about a number of topics including the importance of the Federal Courts; the workings of the three branches of government; and the manner in which Federal Judges apply the law fairly and appropriately to decide complicated disputes.
Judge Michael J. Newman of the Southern District of Ohio and Career Law Clerk Michael Rhinehart meet with students at Versailles High School in Versailles, Ohio on March 13, 2018.
Judge Michael J. Newman of the Southern District of Ohio and Career Law Clerk Michael Rhinehart meet with students from Tippecanoe High School (Tipp City, Ohio) at the United States Courthouse in Dayton, Ohio on March 9, 2018.
Judge Michael J. Newman of the Southern District of Ohio and Career Law Clerk Michael Rhinehart meet with students from Fairmont High School (Kettering, Ohio) at the United States Courthouse in Dayton, Ohio on March 2, 2018.
In January 2018, Judge Michael Newman, his career law clerk Mike Rhinehart, and his term law clerk LeighAnn Thomas met with approximately 500 8th grade students at Springboro Junior High School in Springboro, Ohio (near Dayton) to talk to these intermediate school students about the federal courts, the difference between criminal and civil cases, how federal judges decide cases, bench trials and jury trials, and the mediation of civil disputes. Judge Newman, Mr. Rhinehart, and Ms. Thomas answered the students’ civics questions and discussed with them the importance of fairness and due process. The students also discussed career paths in the law.
On January 10, 2018, Federal Bar Association National President Kip Bollin; United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Ohio and past Federal Bar Association President Hon. Michael J. Newman; Randy Sentman, a Social Studies teacher at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Ohio; and United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio career law clerk Michael Rhinehart appeared on the WVXU-FM public radio show “Cincinnati Edition” to promote the Federal Bar Association’s national civics outreach program. While on the program they discussed civics education and student field trips to a federal courthouse.
