Boston--Fifteen Boston public high school students, who have just completed seven weeks of court and legal educational training in the Supreme Judicial Court’s Judicial Youth Corps program, will begin their summer internships in the Massachusetts court system on Monday, July 7, 2003.  With the support of private donors, the Boston Private Industry Council will pay for the students’ seven-week summer internships in which students learn about the role of the judicial branch and work under the supervision of clerks, probation officers, and other administrators in Boston area courts. On Fridays, the students will continue their educational sessions taught by judges, lawyers, and court staff, who volunteer their time to help demystify the court system.

          Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall said, “It is exhilarating to see young people engaged in learning about the importance of an independent judiciary in a constitutional democracy. These students have spent many hours of their free time after school in educational sessions at the courthouse to learn about legal principles on which our system of justice is based.  I applaud the judges, lawyers, and court personnel who devote hours of their own time to this most worthwhile program, and I thank, once again, the Boston Private Industry Council for supporting the internship program this year.”

          Designed for urban high school students, the Judicial Youth Corps program was first established by the Supreme Judicial Court’s Public Information Office in 1991, the year the program won a community partnership award from the American Bar Association. 

          The four-month program consists of two educational components: a seven-week orientation to the court system held in May and June, and a seven-week courthouse internship session in July and August.  In the first half of the program, the students gain a fundamental understanding of legal concepts and the role and function of the trial and appellate courts through interactive sessions taught by judges, lawyers, and court staff. During the summer, students work full-time with clerks and probation officers in court offices and help with filing, computer processing, answering public inquiries, and other clerical duties. Each Friday, the students report to the Supreme Judicial Court to continue their educational sessions, which often include field trips to a jail, law firm, police department, and the State House.  Court observations of both criminal and civil proceedings are also part of their learning experiences. 

          Neil Sullivan, Executive Director, Boston Private Industry Council, said, “The Supreme Judicial Court Judicial Youth Corps offers a unique learning and earning opportunity for Boston public high school students. This program is made possible through the commitment of the judges, clerks, probation officers, and other court employees.”

          Approximately 500 students from Boston, Worcester, and Springfield have successfully completed the Supreme Judicial Youth Corps Judicial Youth Corps program. Now in its thirteenth year, the Judicial Youth Corps has served as a model for several other law-related educational programs in Massachusetts.