Back to School

On Constitution Day, legal professionals statewide showed students the rule of law up close, and their questions are just getting started

BY COLIN RIGLEY

At about 8 a.m., kids are scurrying into McMurray Middle School on Vashon Island to get to class before the second bell rings. Outside, someone has set up a loudspeaker where “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips is playing, ushering kids into the end of their third week of school with the iconic message that things can change if they just hold on for another day.

Today, that message of perseverance in the face of bad times is just as relevant for everyday American adults as it is for pubescent teenagers trying to navigate the challenges of middle school. Americans are, on average, distrustful of public institutions and cynical about our collective future. According to the Pew Research Center, about 70 percent of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the current state of our democracy,¹1 Pew Research Center, “Multiple indicators show a decline in the health of America’s democracy in 2025,” April 15, 2025. and more than half (53 percent) have an unfavorable view of the U.S. Supreme Court.²2 Pew Research Center, “Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low,” July 30, 2026. Overall, public trust has plummeted from 1958, when 73 percent of Americans said they trusted the federal government, to 2025, when just 17 percent of Americans said the same.³3 Pew Research Center, “Multiple indicators show a decline in the health of America’s democracy in 2025,” April 15, 2025.

However, in a World Justice Project survey, 96 percent of respondents—both Democrats and Republicans—said the rule of law is crucial to the future of the country.⁴4 World Justice Project, “Rule of Law in the United States.”

As part of the WSBA’s Rule of Law Ambassadors Program and Washington courts’ Lawyers in the Classroom program, more than 350 legal professionals signed up to connect with and visit a classroom on or around Sept. 17, with visits stretching from Spokane to Camano Island, to teach lessons on the Constitution and share their career stories with curious students. The Lawyers in the Classroom Program—a joint effort of the Washington State Courts and the WSBA—brings volunteers into classrooms to “provide students with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about the judicial system, as well as the basic concept of fairness.” With fewer than one in four eighth-graders proficient in civics,⁵5 National Assessment Governing Board, “Eighth-Grade Scores Decline in Civics and U.S. History on the Nation’s Report Card,” May 3, 2023. the WSBA and courts urged legal professionals statewide to visit a local class and teach a civics lesson on or around Constitution Day.

Rules of the Game

At about 11 a.m. in Stephanie Detwiler’s eighth grade social studies class, about a half dozen kids were learning how to play a game that, by design, no one was able to understand.

WSBA Executive Director Terra Nevitt and Washington Supreme Court Justice Colleen Melody were teaching the students how to play “Pass the Marker” during their visit. The students stood shoulder to shoulder and were told to pass a marker down the line. It seemed simple enough at first, but then more rules were added on the fly. The students were told that, actually, they’re supposed to jump when they pass the marker. Nevitt changed her mind again after another round and said they’re also supposed to make bird noises. The kids did their best to abide with the ever-evolving rules, hopping and letting out a series of “caws” and “cheeps” until Nevitt announced the winner: the student with the bluest jacket, of course.

Despite the bizarre and obtuse rules, the students quickly picked up on the lesson underneath.

“You just kinda made up rules,” one student said after the game was over. “And I know you’re going to tie it to politics.”

They were right.

Nevitt and Melody spent the day on Vashon, during which they spoke to four of Detwiler’s classes about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; shared their experiences as lawyers and a judge; and, most importantly, explained the necessity of the rule of law.

“That’s what this document [the Constitution] ended up being: a series of expectations, agreements … for how we’re going to behave together,” Melody told the students. “… Part of the reason that we agree to abide by the rules is because we know everyone else is going to follow the rules, too.”

Nevitt explained that it’s part of the job of lawyers to do what they can to help people and ensure that the legal system remains fair for all. More importantly, the rule of law means that the system of rules is not subject to the whims of the people in power.

Melody and Nevitt stressed to the students that it’s important for them to start thinking about these things and asking about fairness and justice now, because one day it will be up to them.

When it came time for questions, eager hands shot up around the room in each of Detwiler’s classes. Many of their questions were far more worldly and insightful than you might expect from the average eighth-grader. They included:

• Did you ever regret a decision you made in court?
• What was the most goriest or the grossest thing you’ve ever judged?
• Have you ever had to do things that you didn’t agree with?
• What are your thoughts on ICE?
• What are the risks of Flock cameras?
• How should we regulate AI—should the user be held responsible or the corporation?
• Did you ever have to put away someone you know?
• What did you do growing up that helped you in your job today?

Detwiler told Bar News that having real-world voices from actual lawyers in the classroom helps the students learn how to think critically about the world in which they live. In fact, they just started with a series of lessons called “Make Your Case” where they examine hypothetical situations and try to determine what the truth is. Hearing from legal professionals in class helps bridge the gap between the idea of the rule of law and its real-world applications.

“I already see that they’re starting to think about career connections,” Detwiler said. “… I really hope that they understand this idea that the intent of the rule of law is that it treats everyone fairly.”

CLASS IS STILL IN SESSION

Vashon was one stop among many. Chief Justice Debra Stephens and WSBA President Francis Adewale met with nearly 400 students at three Spokane schools. A parent volunteered in eight classrooms at Seattle’s Fairmount Park Elementary. On Camano Island, one email to a teacher grew into a lesson for about 75 second graders at Utsalady Elementary. Another volunteer spent the day with cadets at the Washington Youth Challenge Academy in Bremerton. And in Colville, middle schoolers at Colville Valley Junior Academy dug into the First Amendment.

For many of those students, it was the first time they’d met a lawyer or a judge. It doesn’t have to be the last. The questions will keep coming—about strange cases, fairness, and what happens when the rules change mid-game. Someone just has to be in the room to answer them.

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SIDEBAR

• Raise your hand. Any day can be Constitution Day. Find outreach templates, webinar recordings, and grade-appropriate lessons at www.wsba.org/classroom-ambassadors. Beyond Constitution Day, we’re teaming up with like-minded youth education partners to share volunteer opportunities throughout the year, from mock trials to mentoring. Check back often for what’s next.
• Tell us how it went. Your stories help us grow the program and support volunteers. Share your visit through our quick form, and we’ll send you a token of appreciation, https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/SqmpKp1fzR.
• Know an educator? Teachers and principals can request a visit at lawyersintheclassroom@courts.wa.gov.

NOTES

1. Pew Research Center, “Multiple indicators show a decline in the health of America’s democracy in 2025,” April 15, 2025.

2. Pew Research Center, “Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low,” July 30, 2026.

3. Pew Research Center, “Multiple indicators show a decline in the health of America’s democracy in 2025,” April 15, 2025.

4. World Justice Project, “Rule of Law in the United States.”

5. National Assessment Governing Board, “Eighth-Grade Scores Decline in Civics and U.S. History on the Nation’s Report Card,” May 3, 2023.

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