Cranbrook Students Win Third Annual Law Day Contest
Cranbrook Schools’ students have won first place in the State Bar of Michigan’s third annual Law Day contest. The group included 19 students from Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School and one fourth grader at Brookside Elementary. This is the third consecutive year that a team from Cranbrook Schools has achieved first place in the Law Day contest. The group was again sponsored by Michigan attorneys Gerard Mantese, Theresamarie Mantese and Gregory Nowakowski.
The students’ submission was a 48-minute video, titled “Judgment in Detroit: A Discussion of Privacy and Security.” The film focused on the 1971 case of United States v. Sinclair. In Sinclair the Department of Justice authorized warrantless wiretaps of suspects allegedly involved in the bombing of an Ann Arbor CIA office. In a landmark decision, Judge Damon Keith held that the warrantless wiretapping violated the Fourth Amendment, and could not be justified by arguing that national security concerns demanded it. Judge Keith’s ruling was later affirmed by the United States Supreme Court.
The group’s video submission included mock interviews with key figures in the Sinclair case, including Judge Damon Keith, John Sinclair, John Mitchell, Frank Kelley, and John Lennon. The interviews addressed the reasons behind the wiretapping authorization, the case’s impact on national legislation, and the ongoing importance of the Fourth Amendment. The students also met with U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chadwell, who explained what wiretapping is and the process that is necessary to obtain authorization for a wiretap.
Keeping in line with the theme of this year’s contest - “Democracy: Why Every Vote Matters” - the students acknowledge in the video that the complex issue of wiretapping does not have an easy answer, and should thus be decided by citizens, who should vote their conscience based on the facts.
The students were presented with the award at the State Bar of Michigan Law Day Awards Ceremony on May 27, 2014 by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack. Justice McCormack acknowledged the students’ excellent work on the project. Judge Fred Mester (Ret.), a long time supporter of Law Day, also attended the ceremony. Stacy Rivard, Head of School of Cranbrook Girls Middle School and Nola-rae Cronan, Dean of Cranbrook Girls Middle School, were influential and supportive of the project, and were present at the ceremony.
The award included a $1,000 grand prize, which the students voted to donate to The Empowerment Plan, a Detroit-based organization founded by Veronika Scott. The Empowerment Plan employs and trains homeless women, who utilize their training as seamstresses to manufacture coats that double as sleeping bags. These coats are ordered by outreach organizations from all over the country to distribute to those in need. Veronika Scott was present at the ceremony to accept the donation on behalf of the Empowerment Plan.
This was the third year of the contest, which is part of the State Bar of Michigan’s annual celebration of Law Day.
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