On Friday, May 5, 2023, the Toledo Bar Association (TBA) hosted area students to celebrate Law Day at the TBA in downtown Toledo. Earlier this year, area students were invited to participate in an essay writing contest focused on the American Bar Association’s (ABA) 2023 Law Day theme, “The Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.” The winner of each division is awarded a cash prize by the Toledo Bar Association Foundation (TBAF) and published below. The nine winners and their teachers are listed below:
Division I: 11th & 12th Grades
1st Place Kaitlyn Harkey
Notre Dame Academy, Teacher: Susie Huffman
2nd Place Siona Naik
Notre Dame Academy, Teacher: Susie Huffman
3rd Place Maria Woycik
Northwest Ohio Classical Academy, Teacher: Geoff Kujawa
Division II: 9th & 10th Grades
1st Place Samantha Budas
Sylvania Southview High School, Teacher: Brian Fritz
2nd Place Isabella Xi
Toledo Chinese School, Teacher: Liu Sowa
3rd Place Andrew Billings
Perrysburg High School, Teacher: Joshua Spiegel
Division III: 7th & 8th Grades
1st Place Tessa Bernard
Christ the King School, Teacher: Melissa Hill
2nd Place Logan Kall
McCord Junior High School, David Budas
3rd Place Brayden Stuard
McCord Junior High School, David Budas
Each essay was judged based upon format, clarity, style, reasoning, creativity, and overall effort. For the first round, essays were reviewed by volunteer attorneys Jennifer Brown, Valerie Fatica, Twila Ferguson, Jim Hoppenjans, Bill Maloney, Maria McCabe, Allma Miller, Florence Murray, Zahraa Nasser, Emily Samlow, Kyle Silvers, Sarah Skow, Peggy Mattimoe Sturgeon, Ben Syroka, Ashley Weis, and Lucinda Weller. The top essays were then submitted to a judge’s panel for final review to Hon. Stacey Cook, Hon. Eric Marks, and Hon. Michael Goulding.
The Honorable Eric Allen Marks a Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge, Sarah K Skow, partner at Spengler Nathanson and President of the TBA and Cindy M. Kirby, Assistant Dean for Student at the University of Toledo College of Law and Vice President of the TBA presented the students with awards on Friday, May 5, 2023 at the TBA’s 2023 Caty Armstrong Memorial Law Day Essay Contest Luncheon. Judge Marks spoke to the students after the award presentation.
Introduction to the Essay Theme:
The 2023 American Bar Association Law Day theme is “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration.” We invite all the people of the United States to join us in rebuilding trust in our institutions, respect for one another, and our willingness to collaborate to address the challenges that face our nation.
In recent years, tensions in our democratic system have revealed deep divisions in American society. These divisions are aggravated by incivility in public discourse and insufficient understanding among many people about the Constitution and the way American government works. Together, however, we can collaborate to overcome our differences, resolve our disputes, and preserve our democracy and republic. To that end, we call on members of the legal profession to lead the way in promoting civics, civility, and collaboration—the cornerstones of our democracy.
Essay Question:
The government and its three branches, the media (in its various forms), and citizens at large can all play a role in advancing civics, civility, and collaboration.
Pick at least two of the groups and address how they can support the goals of promoting trust in our institutions, respect for one another, and collaboration in addressing our nation’s challenges.
Division I: 11th & 12th Grades, 1st Place
The Cornerstones of Democracy: Media and Citizens
by Kaitlyn Harkey, Notre Dame Academy; Teacher: Susie Huffman
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the levels of tension between all forms of media and citizens of the United States, The presence and power of media have grown exponentially as citizens gather most of their political information from social media and news outlets. Media sources have a responsibility to produce unbiased information for citizens, and citizens have a responsibility to hold the media accountable.
The term media is vague and can be better defined as "the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet) regarded collectively" (Oxford). This definition provides an emphasis on the term "communication" which is the main goal of media as well as specific groups that would be considered media. News sources such as social media, online newspapers, and news stations have a large responsibility to communicate important political and nonpolitical information to citizens. However, media such as newspapers and news stations are large businesses first and foremost. This aspect of media is critical to recognize because this means the majority of profit and resources come from consumers. Whenever profit is involved, the agenda of supposedly unbiased sources changes and it is extremely difficult to remain impartial. A study done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Soroush Vosoughi, Sinan Aral, and Deb Roy found that false news travels faster than true stories. This correlates with media, specifically newspapers and news stations, having a separate agenda other than providing unbiased information. If false or exaggerated news stories attract more attention and money, the media is more likely to publish and report on those stories. This is a threat to civics, civility, and collaboration.
Because the media have reasons to purposely mislead citizens, a large amount of responsibility falls onto citizens. Collaboration is necessary to have a good relationship between the media and citizens and uphold the other cornerstones of democracy: civics and civility. With a substantial increase in reliance on media, the information available to citizens has also become a positive resource. Citizens can more easily corroborate information provided by news sources because the information is more easily accessible through social media and the Internet; however, this is where citizens need to hold themselves accountable and be digitally literate. It is critical to understand what sources have more credibility than others and why. When citizens understand this through research and effort, collaboration with the media is more easily achieved. Collaboration through corroboration will help ease tensions in our nation and the bipartisan divide felt in every aspect of life. This responsibility citizens hold is a part of civics because the rights and duties of citizenship include the urge and desire to be educated about factors that affect political tensions; the media is considered one of these factors. Once citizens follow through with their responsibilities, civility is more effortlessly attainable.
Division II: 9th & 10th Grades, 1st Place
Promoting Trust in the Golden Age of Social Media
by Samantha Budas, Sylvania Southview High School; Teacher: Brian Fritz
The very foundation that makes up the United States is its three branches of government, which are not only in charge of allowing society to function correctly but also the promotion of trust, respect, and collaboration when it comes to the decisions that are made to develop the nation further. In recent years, however, there has been an emergence of distrust towards the government with more than half of the population believing that the government is corrupt and should not be trusted (Perrin and Rainie).
This is primarily the fault of the newest emerging form of media, social media. For example, one in every five Americans receives their news from social media sites on a regular basis (Mitchell, Amy, et al.), and this is a catastrophic issue facing the nation. Social media often portrays the government very negatively, promoting news stories dealing primarily with corruption and inter-political division because it is 'eye-catching' and will draw in more interaction on the platform (Olaniran and Williams). While citizens should be informed of corruption, the fact that only 51 percent of Americans can name the three branches of government (Rozansky) let alone understand their functions, it is a recipe for chaos and mistrust between the governing and the governed.
Instead, the media and the three branches of government have to work together in order to further promote the ideals of trust, respect, and collaboration. The two mass influential powers have to work together to educate the population on not only how the government works, but also what the government can and cannot do. Through the education of the public, and therefore a new understanding of how the government works, a new cultural identity can emerge.
From education and a common cultural identity, civility can also be created and further enforced. And while politicians are responsible for their own behavior, social media has a very large influence on public beliefs and can help influence the light in which politicians are portrayed. When politicians and regular civilians feel as though they are on the same level or 'equal' in the new cultural identity, they feel more comfortable holding them accountable and forcing them to adhere to the very standards that are set by the Constitution like equality. Once politicians are seen as equals and seen upholding the same ideals as American citizens, the people of the nation will have faith in the political systems and processes as well as the elections. When trust is instilled in political processes like elections, faith and truth are found as results of the election, rather than the belief of a 'faked election' taking hold over the population and further promoting the distrust.
All in all, in order to further promote trust, respect, and collaboration between the government and the governed, the media and the government must work together to further educate the general public, Education helps to create a common ground in which the public feels open to holding politicians accountable for their actions and stopping the spread of distrust within the government.
Division III: 7th & 8th Grades, 1st Place
Shared Responsibilities
by Tessa Bernard, Christ the King School; Teacher: Melissa Hill
Our third president, Thomas Jefferson, once said "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government." In a well-functioning society, both the government and the citizens have a responsibility to promote trust in institutions and mutual respect. Trust, respect, and collaboration are crucial to the success of the United States, and it is essential that the government and citizens work together for a common goal. When there is trust between the government and the citizens, the citizens believe that the government is making good decisions for their well-being, and the government believes that the citizens are well informed. When the government respects its citizens, leaders treat all the citizens equally and justly. When the citizens respect the government, they are more likely to abide by the rules the government enforces. The country faces many challenges, and it is easier to solve these problems when the government and citizens work together.
There are several things that the government can do to build trust with its citizens. The government should provide the public with honest and accurate information. When government officials make mistakes, they need to be accountable to the people. Admitting mistakes, explaining how the mistake happened, and describing how similar mistakes will be prevented in the future help to promote trust in government institutions. In order to maintain a trusting relationship, the citizens have to believe that the government's policies are in the best interest of the people, not put in place to allow leaders to acquire more power. If the government is transparent and treats all citizens equally, there can be a relationship based on mutual respect.
Even though the government is powerful and has many responsibilities, the citizens also have obligations. Citizens should be aware of the issues that affect them. Citizens can make their ideas known by contacting their government representatives. Citizens can attend town hall meetings which gives them opportunities to voice their opinions and ask questions. These are some of the many ways that citizens can collaborate with their government representatives. Collaboration builds trust and respect between the government and its citizens.
In conclusion, to have a stable government and country both the citizens and the government need to have trust in each other, respect each other, and work together to overcome challenges. This can be accomplished through leaders with integrity and accountability as well as citizens willing to communicate with their representatives and voice their opinions. With true collaboration between the government and citizens many of the challenges our country faces can be overcome.
About Law Day
Law Day was established by President Eisenhower in 1958 to honor the law and is celebrated annually on or around May 1st by bar associations and the legal profession nationwide.
The essay contest for students has been an integral part of Law Day festivities for many years. This annual contest encourages youth to explore our legal system and the relationship between laws and our rights and freedoms. The Toledo Bar Association contest was named the Caty Armstrong Law Day Essay Contest after Caty’s tragic death in an automobile accident in 1993 just weeks after she was recognized as an essay contest winner.
The TBA’s Law Related School Education Committee’s mission is to develop and implement programs designed to assist all levels of our educational system in the education of students in our community about the legal system and the system of justice, including the organization of various Law Day activities and Mock Trial programs.
About the Toledo Bar Association
The Toledo Bar Association (TBA) is a voluntary professional association of lawyers in Lucas and surrounding counties. It was established in 1878 and has over 1,500 members. The mission of the TBA is to advance the highest standards of excellence for the legal profession, promote the rule of law, facilitate equal access to justice, and consciously foster a diverse and inclusive legal community, by providing unmatched collaborative opportunities, professional development and outstanding services to our members while also supporting the community at large.
