Colorado civics education program named 
recipient of Sandra Day O’Connor Award for 
Advancement of Civics Education 

Williamsburg, VA (January 12, 2015) – Judicially Speaking, a Colorado-based civics education 
program, has been named recipient of the 2015 Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of 
Civics Education, presented annually by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The award honors 
an organization, court, or individual who has promoted, inspired, improved, or led an innovation or 
accomplishment in the field of civics education related to the justice system. Details of the awards 
presentation have not been finalized. 

NCSC President Mary C. McQueen said Judicially Speaking was selected, in part, because of its 
proven track record of “teaching young people about the realities of living in a society that embraces the 
rule of law. One of its strengths is its philosophy of learning by doing – judges going to classrooms, youth 
correctional facilities, and alternative schools not to lecture, but to interact with students to teach a deeper 
understanding about the role courts play in everyday life,” McQueen said. 

Judicially Speaking stands apart from other programs because of its reach, its focus on teaching 
about the judiciary and the rule of law, and because it can be easily replicated in other states.Judicially 
Speaking was started in 2009 by three local Colorado judges – David Shakes, Theresa Cisneros, and 
David Prince. Since its inception, the program has spread statewide reaching thousands of middle- and 
high-school students and has been integrated into Colorado’s social studies curriculum. The program also 
is being used in Colorado juvenile correction facilities and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. 

Colorado Chief Justice Nancy E. Rice, who endorsed the program’s nomination, said, “I am delighted 
that Judicially Speaking has received this national recognition. Judges Cisneros, Prince, and Shakes 
have done a tremendous job developing this valuable educational program and fully deserve this honor.” 

Judge David Prince of Colorado’s 4th Judicial District, said he and his colleagues are honored by the 
national recognition. “Judicially Speaking is a collaborative program made possible by 100-plus judges 
and educators who have dedicated their time and creativity to improving public education about what 
judges do. We greatly appreciate Justice O’Connor and NCSC honoring our efforts. All that we as a 
people and as individuals treasure about our country flow from the rule of law, which ultimately rises and 
falls with the people’s support. Judicially Speaking is dedicated to stoking that support through robust, 
creative, and engaging civics education.” 

The program operates by judges working directly with students and teachers, going into the 
classroom -- not to lecture -- but to use interactive exercises that allows students to gain a strong 
understanding of how judges makes decisions. For example, a judge takes students through an exercise 
where students act as legislators to develop a law about when juveniles should be tried as adults in 
criminal court. The students then change roles and work in small groups to apply the law they just created 
to real-life cases. The judge leads the class discussion about the cases as students report how they 
applied the law. By actually experiencing the role of the judge in applying the law to particular cases, the 
students learn by doing. 

This is the fifth year the O'Connor Award has been presented. The award is named for retired U.S. 
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in honor of her commitment to improving civics education. 
Since retiring from the bench in 2006, Justice O'Connor has become a tireless advocate of civics 
education, working to increase awareness and understanding of how our government works. She also 
established iCivics, a program that uses web-based educational tools to teach civics education and to 
inspire students to be active participants in society. 

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court reform 
organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to 
the state courts. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United 
States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research 
services to the nation’s state courts. 

National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147 

Lorri Montgomery Jon Sarché 
Director of Communications Deputy Public Information Officer 
National Center for State Courts Colorado Judicial Department 
757.259.1525 720.625.5811 
lmontgomery@ncsc.org jon.sarche@judicial.state.co.us