The Illinois State Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law-Related Education will host the annual High School Mock Trial Invitational on March 21 and 22, 2003 at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Space is limited to the first 60 official registrations received.

This ISBA annual program provides high school students an opportunity to develop case strategies based on a packet of materials developed by the Bar Association's Law-Related Education Committee. Students are provided a case synopsis, affidavits, relevant case law, jury instructions and other educational and resource materials on the trial topic. They are limited to using only these materials in planning their trials. All schools, public and private, who indicate interest in the program will receive the packet of trial information and a training manual which discusses how to prepare for a mock trial. It is not necessary to participate in the event to receive the packet. Teams of ten students (seven acting and three alternates) try the case as prosecutors or defendants on Friday and on Saturday argue the opposite side of the case. They are reviewed by a team of evaluators trained in mock trial procedures. There is a $50 registration fee.

If you would like to review past mock trial problem materials, they are available at the LRE Committee's website. Go to www.isba.org and click on the Committee and Section icon. Scroll down to the Committee on Law-Related Education. Also available at the same site are teacher training materials and the rules and procedures for the mock trials.

The annual mock trial materials are routinely mailed to schools having indicated interest in late November and are posted on the ISBA website as soon as they re mailed.

Other information available from ISBA at the same website:

Understanding the Illinois Constitution - a book which compares the Illinois and U.S. Constitutions and gives background history of the various sections. Single copies are free of charge. Full text of the updated version is available on the ISBA Website, www.isba.org. Follow the links to Committees and Sections, click on Committee on Law-Related Education, and this and other resources will be available.

Being 18 - a publication that describes the rights and responsibilities on becoming an adult in Illinois is currently in production. Single copies will be free of charge. Available on-line at www.isba.org. Follow the links to Public Information. This material is located with the other ISBA Public Information Pamphlets.

LRE Bibliography - based on a list provided by the American Bar Association, and expanded by the ISBA Committee on Law-Related Education, this bibliography contains novels, plays, and other literary works that discuss issues that are law-related and can be used in classrooms to teach about the law, society, government, etc.

There are lesson plans and classroom resources appropriate for grades 2-12 at the Public Broadcasting System's website, www.pbs.org/americare-sponds/educators.html The site has information available on teaching tolerance, promoting peace, dealing with September 11, and studying Afghanistan's history, and more.

There is an international civic education website managed by the Center for Civic Education and Vicitas International that provides services and resources on civic education worldwide. This site was developed primarily for civic education practitioners and has resources, research access, directories, world and national news, etc. Go to www.civnet.org

MILOSEVIC TRIAL

In June of 2001, Slobodan Milosevic, former President of Yugoslavia, was extradited to face charges before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The Tribunal was created by a United Nations Security Council resolution. It has jurisdiction over cases of alleged violations of international humanitarian law that occurred after January 1, 1991 in the territory that used to be the nation of Yugoslavia. President Milosevic and four former senior Yugoslavian government ministers have been charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for actions taken by forces under his control in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. The prosecution alleges that Mr. Milosevic directed Serbian nationalist forces to engage in crimes against Croatians, Albanians and Moslems in these former provinces of Yugoslavia. Mr. Milosevic's trial began in February of 2002 and is expected to last two years. Three of the four senior ministers indicted with him have not been captures; one committed suicide shortly after capture.

The trial of Mr. Milosevic is an important development in international law for three main reasons. First, Mr. Milosivec is the first heard of a government to be tried by an international tribunal for violations of international law. His trial, and potential conviction, can send a clear message to government officials that high rank will not immunize them from criminal responsibility for actions taken by their governments. Second, Mr. Milosevic is being tried for crimes committed by individuals under his command. This gives the Tribunal the opportunity to make a clear statement about the extent to which an individual in command of political and military forces is responsible for actions taken by those under his or her direction. Finally, the trial of Mr. Milosevic gives the international community the opportunity to separate the responsibility for crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia from the ongoing ethnic conflicts in the area.

Mr. Milosevic, a strong advocate of Serbian nationalism, has argued that he took the actions he did as a means of achieving a "greater Serbian" nation. The prosecution argues that Mr. Milosevic merely used Serbian nationalism as a means of building his own personal power. This approach seeks to separate responsibility for the crimes that occurred from the ongoing conflict between the Serbian majority in Yugoslavia and other ethnic groups in the region. This separation could allow for an international rehabilitation of the reputation of the current Yugoslavian government and help diffuse the tensions caused by ethnic and religious based strife with its neighbors. In early April of 2002, the government of Yugoslavia agreed to continue extraditing indicted persons to the Tribunal for trial. This victory for the prosecution may be a response to their efforts to separate the crimes of individuals from the larger Serbian nationalist movement.

Before entering politics, Mr. Milosevic received a law degree from the University of Belgrade. Somewhat to the surprise of those watching the Tribunal, he has chosen to act as his own attorney. The Tribunal appointed a three-attorney panel of advisors to support Mr. Milosevic's efforts to defend himself. However, he appears to be showing unforeseen skills as a trial attorney. Early in the trial he successfully challenged one of the prosecution's expert witnesses and has successfully objected against testimony of other witnesses. The prosecution has voiced concerns that its witnesses who survived some of the worst crimes covered in the indictment may be unwilling to testify knowing that they will be cross-examined by Mr. Milosevic, the man they see as responsible for their suffering. In mid-April, 2002, the prosecution will decide whether to challenge the Tribunal's order that the prosecution must have its case-in-chief complete by April 2003. To date, Mr. Milosevic's cross-examinations of witnesses have taken longer than the prosecution's direct examinations. This has led to speculation that Mr. Milosevek is using the freedom given him in cross-examination to consume substantial portions of the time available for presentation of the case against him.

Here are some useful websites for additional research on Mr. Milosevik and the Tribunal

Biographical:

His impact on the region:

This article was written by Pinky Wassenberg, Associate Professor of Political Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield where she teaches a course on the law of military conflict. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Washington State University and a J.D. from Lewis and Clark, Northwestern School of Law. Her research interests include the evaluation of juvenile justice initiatives and the diffusion of innovative court approaches to problems of delinquency and mental disorders.

"Crimes against humanity" Criminal responsibility

Ethnic conflict Extradition

Genocide Immunity

Indictment Jurisdiction

Nationalism Tribunal

United Nations

The University of Illinois at Springfield invited 21 students entering their senior year in high school to participate in the Abraham Lincoln & Leadership Summer Institute four-week residential education program on Lincoln and Leadership with full scholarships in July, 2002. This was the first Lincoln Summer Institute and was funded by the State of Illinois. It will be affiliated with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Students from all Illinois high schools were invited to apply and become university students for portion of their summer vacation. The students attending the program represented the range of Illinois high school students.

Participants were enrolled as UIS students, taking two courses for four hours of university credit, lived in the Lincoln Residence Hall, participated in recreation and social activities on campus, and took field trips each weekend to historically significant sites in Illinois related to Abraham Lincoln and the time period. Students additionally had the opportunity to increase their technology skills with weekly workshops in the UIS Educational Technology classrooms.

Students developed a residence government, attended plays and musical events, participated in service learning by developing a food drive on the UIS campus for a local food kitchen, learned to shape note sing, dance the reel, identify strengths in their own leadership style, and also learned to live with a diverse group of students from all over the state of Illinois.

Specific projects were chosen by the students to complete research for their courses and to demonstrate the knowledge gained as part of their college coursework. Archival research and learning to use primary and secondary documents for historical research were included in the educational experience of the students. They built skills on how to gather information from sites, such as the Confederate Cemetery in Alton, Illinois and researching on-site at the Camp Butler National Cemetery. Innovative and creative projects were designed and developed by the students in the program.

Students left in August with new leadership skills, friendships that they plan to continue, resources in technology and historical research that they can use in their college endeavors, options for new career interests, and memories of their educational experiences related to Abraham Lincoln and his life.

Students completing the program were recognized for their leadership skills with a breakfast, leadership awards, and a lithograph of Abraham Lincoln. Hazel Loucks, Deputy Governor for Education in Illinois presented the student awards. Students stated that they had come to Abraham Lincoln & Leadership Summer Institute and the University of Illinois at Springfield looking for Mr. Lincoln and what they found was a new-found view of themselves as fledging adults. These students return home to complete their senior year in high school and then begin a college career with much better preparation for the journey ahead due to the Abraham Lincoln & Leadership Summer Institute at UIS.

Two high school student scholarship programs are available for the 2003 Summer Institute with application deadline date of April 1, 2003 for both programs.

Students accepted in the four-week program will be taking two courses for college credit and must be rising seniors in the 2003-2004 school year. Through one required and one elective course, students will be studying Abraham Lincoln & the time period.

All students accepted for the 2003 Abraham Lincoln & Leadership Summer Institute will receive full scholarships for lodging, meals, tuition & fees, books, and materials. Students will be involved in projects, technology workshops, and field trips to enhance this unique learning experience.

To Obtain Further Information about the Programs - Information about the above programs can be found at the program website at

or contact Peggy Dunn at

to request further information regarding the programs.

Peggy Dunn, M.S., M.A. Project Coordinator UIS Public Policy High School Initiatives in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Center for Governmental Studies

The law, defined by The American Heritage Dictionary, - the actions or processes by which the rules of a society are enforced and through which redress for grievances is obtained. Additionally, a rule established by authority, society, or custom. Throughout the life of all people, the law will impact and prevail. This focuses on the need for an understanding of how the law operates for all citizens. Resources to assist with teaching in American Government, Civics, U.S. History, or Social Sciences are collected below:

The Illinois State Bar Association wishes to provide resources for your classrooms on:

The following information is provided by the American Bar Association – Division for Public Education Website.

Additional Resources that may enhance your classrooms voyage into the law and how it works follow:

Peace is in our Hands: Building a Vocabulary of Peace through the U.N. Decade for a Culture of Non-Violence.

By: Dr. Mary L. Milano

As the post 9-11 world contemplates the possibility of a U.S. or U.S. led military action in Iraq, and experiences an increase in terror, violence and aggression, educators find themselves working with students who cannot help but be touched by the climate of fear and its calls for finding ways to increase national and personal security. This climate has tended to focus on means which in many ways are not reflective of many of the values which have formed the basis of the U.S. system of law and the policies that flow from it. Students today live with consistent calls for narrowing the routes of entry into the United States, for decreasing individual liberties and privacy rights, for pre-emptive and unilateral military action in the international arena and for contraction of due process rights. Much of the current discussion of these issues in both governmental and press contexts has adopted vocabulary and images which both assume and in consequence promote the use of armed force as a principal means to achieve security goals. In the constant effort to make students aware that choices and options always exist, and that all conflicts involve the existence and engagement of multiple issues, points of view and possibilities for resolution, the time could not be better to use the resources available in response to the United Nations declaration of the years 2001 – 2010 as "The Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World."

• Respect for life, ending violence and promoting non-violence through education
• Respect for the principles embodied in the U.N. Charter
• Commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts
• Promotion of developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations
• Adherence to principles of freedom, justice, democracy, cooperation and understanding at all levels of society and among nations
• Respect for and promotion of human rights, civil rights and the rights to development

The consensus which underlies the Decade recognizes the enormous harm done in particular to the children of the world through violence of all kinds, and focuses on active peace making at all levels, from the grassroots in families and schools to larger social and political units to nations and the international community. It advocates a wide variety of means to achieve a culture of peace, and prominent among them is the role of education.

Because of this emphasis a wide variety of materials in type, content and method are being made available through the United Nations, and principally through its educational arm, UNESCO, and many Non-Governmental Organizations and faith based organizations. These materials are useable in LRE contexts at both elementary and secondary levels, to support cross curricular emphases, in conflict resolution and in values education programs and in a number of specific disciplines, particularly social studies, language arts, and, in private schools, for religion/religious studies. The materials can support a range of objectives, but will in each event have as a benefit widening the available vocabulary for addressing conflict issues in today's world, expanding student awareness of the causes of conflict, particularly in the social and political arenas, and the development of creative approaches to peace-building at individual, familial, and social levels. The Decade issues present particularly fruitful opportunities for active learning projects, among them those which might have a tangible impact within the learning unit, larger school or supporting community, and those which challenge students to become engaged in applied civics exercises. Finally, the international nature of the materials presents a number of possibilities for supporting multi cultural learning.

These are only a few gateways to the work, ideas and possibilities for using the Decade in your school or program, and are by no means exclusive ways in. One option to consider is to make finding the curricular links themselves a class project that might have as one goal, expanding the framework of how your school understands LRE itself – and making the jump from the local, state and national legal framework to a larger exploration of relationships among nations and peoples rooted in the rule of law and oriented to common understanding and cooperation.

Mary L. Milano is a member of the Illinois Bar and currently Secretary of the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Related Education for the Public. She is also Director for Hunger Education for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and an ordained Episcopal priest. Her areas of academic expertise are in social and professional ethics and international human rights.