Our policy will not adopt the sophisticated elements of a seminar discussion. We should not expect that either. But we can do better than an ignorant bar fight that is increasingly where we are. Jonathan Rauch recently wrote in these pages that our political disagreements can increasingly be limited to tribal loyalties. No wonder we are ignorant; We did not care about education for constitutional citizenship. Our political institutions, including our political parties and other civil society associations, have effectively abandoned their educational function, thus fuelling tribal divisions. Madison, in turn, puts it best: “A popular government, without popular information or the means to acquire it, is but a prologue to a farce or tragedy; or maybe both. This is the world we live in. The need for civics education is not limited to university students or K-12 students. Civic education in various forms can be useful to people of all ages to develop or strengthen the minds and habits of democratic citizens. These include the expectation of being treated and treating others equally; respect the rights of those with whom we disagree to express their opinions; work to ensure that the rules of political elections are fair, inclusive and decisive; respect for legitimate means of resolving contentious issues; and to take responsibility for preserving the institutions of constitutional democracy and helping to remedy injustices or dysfunctions in those institutions or in society.
Lawyers, law schools and law students find many opportunities to participate in this form of lifelong learning, both as teachers and learners. Even those who are most familiar with constitutional law and government institutions must continue to learn, as important aspects of how they operate can change through technology, massive movements of people, or new policy approaches, and therefore require new critical thinking and new responses. Our constitutional history can provide instruction in basic civic knowledge, such as the three branches of government under the separation of powers that three-quarters of Americans cannot name. But much more than basic knowledge, turning to our constitutional history is a way to revive common principles and forge a common civic identity. American constitutional principles have come to life throughout our history as we struggle over how to apply enduring ideals in new cases and contexts. Many law schools deal with forms of political education. Street law programs are fairly common, having begun at Georgetown University Law Center in 1971-72. The basic idea has remained constant: law students are educated and then teach public school students legal issues relevant to their lives. But today, street law includes not only law students who teach in the program and their students in public schools, but also law firms, corporate legal departments, and police officers who participate in various traffic law programs.
The current 9. The edition of the Street Law Handbook – Street Law: A Course in Practical Law – contains documents on what is law, legislation, advocacy, dispute resolution, lawyers, crime and criminal procedure, juvenile justice, consumer law, tort law, tort law, family law and individual rights and freedoms, as well as current issues of immigration, intellectual property, law and terrorism, and labour law. In 1993, Dean Alexander found that at least 38 different law schools offered street law programs. This year (research conducted since January 2019 on ABA-approved law schools), 92 schools have such programs. In 1953, Professor Paul Freund argued in a lecture at the University of Washington that the study of law could contribute greatly to the “general education” of universities. For Freund, it was not a question of teaching the technical aspects of law, but the methods of law and the development of law over time – because, as he said, “the institutions which are at the heart of our civilization – security of the person, freedom of the mind, property and commerce – and which are at the same time the substance of our daily lives. all depend on a legal structure. Indeed, while recognizing other legal methods, for Freund “the most important legal method is to translate the ideals and goals of a society into institutions,” as illustrated by Louis Brandeis` career before becoming a judge.