US Bankruptcy Court Celebrates Constitution Day With Essay Contest for High School Students

Los Angeles - The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (FBA-LA) co-sponsored a Constitution Day Essay Contest for high school students in the Greater Los Angeles Area. A celebration honoring the contest winners and special guests was held on September 15, 2015, at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Los Angeles, California. The contest theme, “Our Constitution: What the American Dream Means to Me,” challenged students to write an essay focusing on how the American Dream is made possible by the Constitution.

In total, 121 entries were submitted. A team of lawyers from the FBA-LA, led by Xiomara Costello and Kristen Tuey, reviewed the essays and selected the semifinalists. District Judges André Birotte Jr. and Beverly Reid O’Connell, Magistrate Judges Paul L. Abrams and Jean P. Rosenbluth, and Bankruptcy Judges Sandra R. Klein and Maureen A. Tighe chose the first, second, and third place winners, along with four honorable mentions.

The Court’s Community Outreach Committee, chaired by Bankruptcy Judge Sandra R. Klein, organized the Court’s Constitution Day celebration in collaboration with the FBA-LA. During the Constitution Day program honoring the contest winners, Judge Klein welcomed the guests and provided a brief history of Constitution Day’s origins. Kathleen Campbell, Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, mentioned that one of the Bankruptcy Court’s strategic initiatives is to increase public understanding, trust, and confidence in the judiciary by engaging in community outreach efforts, such as the Constitution Day event. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Sheri Bluebond introduced the judges and special guests in attendance, including Ninth Circuit Judge Raymond C. Fisher, Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne H. Segal, Magistrate Judges Gail J. Standish and Michael R. Wilner, Bankruptcy Judge Maureen A. Tighe, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, and Federal Public Defender Trial Chief John Littrell. Kenneth D. Sulzer, President of the FBA-LA, announced the winners and provided them with their awards and certificates.

The highlight of the event was when Emily Filkin of North Hollywood High School, winner of the first place prize, read her essay. Emily’s essay focused on how the constitutional protections of the Fourteenth Amendment allowed her family to emigrate from Vietnam to the United States. She highlighted the ways in which her family has been afforded the opportunity to achieve the American Dream as a result of various Supreme Court decisions interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment, including Brown v. Bd. of Educ., United States v. Wong Kim Ark, and Loving v. Virginia. Emily aspires to become an op-ed columnist to expose prejudice and to remove barriers that stand in the way of attaining the American Dream. The second and third place prizes were awarded to Michelle Jaimes and Marco Vazquez of Alliance Patti & Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy (Neuwirth Academy). Awards for honorable mention went to Amy Diaz and Rosa Estrada, also students at Neuwirth Academy, and to Kevin Farfan and Jasmin Figueroa, students at Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy (Burton Academy). Valerie Felix and the school at which she teaches, Burton Academy, were recognized as the teacher and the school whose students submitted the most essays.

Judge Klein concluded the ceremony by thanking all of the FBA-LA members and all of the Bankruptcy Court staff who worked tirelessly to make the event such a success. After the awards ceremony, all of the participants and guests enjoyed mingling during a catered reception. The 2015 Constitution Day Essay Contest and celebration reflect the Court’s commitment to community outreach as outlined in its 2014-2019 Strategic Plan.

About Constitution Day
In 1940, Congress established “I Am An American Day”—a precursor to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day—to recognize “all who, by coming of age or naturalization, have attained the status of citizenship” and to highlight “the privileges and responsibilities of being an American citizen.” In 1952, September 17th officially became “Citizenship Day” to commemorate the formation and signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. In 2004, Citizenship Day was renamed “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” (Constitution Day).

About the Court
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California is the largest bankruptcy court in the nation, with 24 active judges serving a population of approximately 19 million people in the seven counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Orange, and Ventura. For more information about the Court, please visit www.cacb.uscourts.gov.