This past April, on the eve of the goldenanniversary of Brown v. Board of Educa-tion— the landmark U.S. Supreme Courtdecision ending legal segregation in publicschools—high schoolers around the stategot a chance to pick the minds of legalexperts in exploring the legacy of thishistoric ruling. The unanimous decision,delivered by U.S. Supreme Court ChiefJustice Earl Warren on May 17, 1954,declared racial segregation in publicschools a violation of the equal protectionrights guaranteed by our FourteenthAmendment, laying the groundwork forthe civil rights movement.

A distinguished panel that includedNew York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye,New York State Court of Appeals Asso-ciate Judge George Bundy Smith andTheodore Shaw, Director-Counsel of theNAACP Legal Defense and EducationalFund, a group that with Howard Univer-sity guided the Brown legal team tovictory, shared their reflections on Brownwith students from 17 New York high

schools. The panelistsand New York Cityhigh schoolers gatheredat Manhattan SupremeCourt where they werejoined via videoconfer-ence by students andjurists from Long Islandand upstate New York,with the dialoguebroadcast live on theInternet.

Jurist Recalls a YouthMarked by Racism

Judge Smith, who attendedsegregated schools in Wash-ington, D.C., through theeighth grade and was the sole African-American in his class at Massachusetts’prestigious Phillips Academy in the1950s, recalled the segregated world helived in as a youngster in the South.

“We knew the schools we wereattending were not as good as the whiteschools,” Judge Smith informed thestudents, recounting that only two of the45 students in his junior high schoolscience class got the opportunity to partic-ipate in laboratory experiments. To JudgeSmith’s good fortune, a scout fromPhillips Academy visited his junior highschool, convincing the future jurist toapply to the private, then-all boys’ insti-tution, where each student had his ownmicroscope, among numerous otheramenities.

“That occurred because of the leader-ship . . . at that school. Leadership isextremely important,” stressed the judge,adding that it’s more difficult to crossgeographic boundaries in desegregatingpublic schools, in response to a student’squery on what can be done to minimize

the de facto school segregation thatpersists in our nation half a century afterBrown.

Judge Smith, a member of the NAACPLegal Defense and Educational Fund liti-gation team from 1962-1964, alsodescribed how he had to keep from“shouting for joy” when first learningabout the Brown decision in the schoollibrary while a student at PhillipsAcademy. His intense desire to participatein the struggle to integrate schools andother segments of society spurred hispursuit of the bench, he told the students.

A Mix of Hope and Caution

Addressing the teens, NAACP LegalDefense and Educational Fund Director-Counsel Theodore Shaw reminded themthere’s still “a lot of work to do” despitethe advances made since Brown. The civilrights attorney urged the students to“question segregation and inequalitywhen you see it,” then mixing hope with caution, added, “There’s a lot to celebrate . . . more blacks in professions,in entertainment, in academia, but like

A NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTING THE LATEST COURT INITIATIVES AND RELATED NEWS

N EWSJURY POOLN E W Y O R K S T A T E S U M M E R 2 0 0 4

continued on page 2

Also in this Issue

Women in the Courts: Advances Made, Challenges Still Faced . . . . . . 3

“Youth Part” Judge Shares Wisdom with Collegians . . . . 4

Meet Dutchess County’s “The Marrying Judge” James Pagones . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Spotlight on Rochester JurorSharon Minigan . . . . . . . . . . 6

Jurist, Inner City Youth MakeFriends via Mentor Program . . 7

Puzzle Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Teens Explore Brown v. Board of Ed at 50

NAACP Legal and Educational Fund Director-Counsel Theodore Shawchats with New York City high schooler Sarah Trapido following theApril 19th videoconference,which brought together teens from fivejudicial districts to discuss the landmark Brown decision.

Brown v. Board of Education: Case Background

◆ Until Brown many public school systems had separate schoolsfor whites and African- Americans, adhering to the “separatebut equal” doctrine adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court inPlessy v. Ferguson (1896).

◆ Brown takes its name from Oliver Brown,who attempted toenroll his third-grade daughter Linda in an all-white schoollocated several blocks from their Topeka,Kansas, home.Hisrequest was denied and so Linda had to trek across a railroadyard and busy street to catch the rickety bus for the mile-plusride to the all-black elementary school.

◆ Oliver Brown sought help from the local branch of theNAACP,with the organization recruiting other African-American parents in Topeka for a class action suit against thelocal school board.

◆ In August 1951, a three-judge federal panel ruled against theplaintiffs.Although the judges agreed with expert witnessesthat “segregation of white and colored children in publicschools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children,”the court felt compelled to follow the precedent set by theU.S. Supreme Court in Plessy.

◆ The NAACP appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, combiningthe Brown case with similar suits from Delaware,Virginia andSouth Carolina, and naming the joint case for the Kansaslawsuit to demonstrate the issue was not unique to the South.

◆ The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Brown in 1952and 1953,with NAACP Legal Defense and Educational FundChief Counsel Thurgood Marshall—who later became thefirst African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court—arguing that segregation was unconstitutional because itdenied African-Americans the equal protection guaranteed bythe Fourteenth Amendment. In its arguments and brief, theNAACP Legal Defense Fund provided testimony of some 30social scientists affirming the harmful effects of segregation.

◆ On May 17, 1954, newly appointed U.S. Supreme Court ChiefJustice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous Brown ruling,declaring that “in the field of public education the doctrine of‘separate but equal’ has no place.”

◆ Southern resistance to Brown was so intense that the SupremeCourt, fearful of violence, delayed an order to implement theruling until the following year. In its 1955 decision, the courtordered the desegregation of all public schools “with alldeliberate speed.”

◆ Southern opposition to Brown reached a peak at Arkansas’Little Rock Central High School in 1957,when the firstAfrican-Americans attempting to attend the school weremobbed by an angry crowd,with Governor Orval Faubuscalling in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent their entryinto the building. In response, President Eisenhower orderedfederal troops to escort the students to school and patrol thegrounds for the remainder of the school year.

◆ The following year, several Southern governors shut downcertain public schools, depriving both black and white studentsof an education rather than allowing school integration toproceed.Unable to defy the federal government or keep theschools closed indefinitely, they would eventually yield to legaldesegregation.

P A G E 2

BROWN V. BOARD OF ED - continued from page 1

Dickens’ ‘Tale of Two Cities,’ we have all of that and westill have the effects of discrimination, and people who stilltoday believe people of color are inferior.”

Keeping the Struggle Alive

Fern Fisher, New York City Civil Court’s first African-American administrative judge, told the teens the Browndecision—which came down the year she was born—enabled her to attend Harvard Law School. “I’ve lived thelegacy of the decision,” she said, before proposing somethought-provoking questions to the youngsters.

When asked what significance the Brown anniversaryheld for the students, one young man responded, “It’s acelebration of tolerance.”

On the subject of tolerance, the teens disagreed onwhether the law, by demanding adherence to certain

behavioral standards,could soften a bigot’sstance on diversity.“People have to abide bythe law, so little by littleyou get through tothem,” said one student.“If you change on a legallevel, but not a social orcultural level, the work isnot done,” refutedanother.

Affirmative action,resegregration of schoolsbecause of housingpatterns, and socioeco-nomic barriers to aquality education were

among the topics that came up during the discussion, withthe panelists imploring the youngsters to keep thedialogue—and fight for equality—going. At one pointduring the talk Judge Kaye declared to the teens, “Thefuture is in your hands . . . You are the people who willimplement, who will make real the hope, the promise, theforward motion of that spectacular national landmark thatwe celebrate in Brown v. Board of Ed.”◆

“There’s a lot to cele-brate . . . but likeDickens’ ‘Tale of TwoCities,’ we have all ofthat and we still havethe effects of discrimina-tion, and people who stilltoday believe people ofcolor are inferior.”

- THEODORE SHAW, ESQ.Counsel, NAACP LegalDefense and EducationalFund Director

VISIT US AT:

www.nycourts.gov/ip/Brown/index.shtml for a list of Brown events held in New York last springand links to related sites, and at:

http://courtroomconnect.bxvideo.com/BrownvBoardto view the courts’ April videoconference commemorating Brown.

P A G E 3

THE ANCIENT GREEKS MAY HAVEREVERED THEMIS as the goddess of

justice, yet New York’s Court of Appealsremained a male bastion until 1983, whenJudith Kaye, now New York’s chief judge,became the tribunal’s first female associatejudge. Thankfully, women in the legalprofession have fared considerably betterin the last 20 years, now constituting amajority on New York’s highest court, afact proudly noted by Appellate DivisionJustice and New York State JudicialCommittee on Women in the CourtsChair Betty Weinberg Ellerin at thecommittee’s annual meeting this pastApril.

An outgrowth of a task force whose two-year study concluded that gender bias wasa reality in New York’s state courts, thestatewide committee was formed in 1986to implement changes to help level theplaying field for female litigants, attorneysand employees within New York’s courtsystem.

A Work in Progress Citing the significant advances made

since the release of the 1986 taskforce report, from an increase inthe number of women judges tomore sensitive treatment ofdomestic violence matters,Judge Ellerin lauded membersof both the statewide committeeand the courts’ local gender fair-ness committees—whichprovide a forum for the informalresolution of gender biascomplaints and training ongender fairness-related issues—for their diligence in “contin-uing the quest of equal treat-ment of women at every level ofour justice system and in thegreater community.”

Judge Kaye, who received aspecial award at this year’smeeting for her leadership in effecting therecommendations set forth by the taskforce 18 years ago, emphasized that despite

the improved status of women inthe courts “there is so much to bedone to realize the lofty Americanideal of freedom, justice andequality.”

Reflecting on her childhood inMonticello, New York, in the ‘40sand ‘50s, Judge Kaye told thegroup, “It never occurred to methat women could be judges, letalone presiding or chief justices.”The chief judge also recounted thatit was “no picnic for women lawyersor would-be lawyers in vibrant,sophisticated, open-minded New YorkCity” when she arrived to attend BarnardCollege in the ‘50s, and even into the ‘60sand ‘70s.

A Hectic Year for Committee MembersNew York State Judicial Committee on

Women in the Courts Vice Chair FernSchair, a senior vice president for theAmerican Arbitration Association, gaveattendees an overview of the local genderfairness committees’ initiatives last year,which included a range of educational

programs for bothmembers of thecourt communityand local residentsas well as food andclothing drives forneedy women andchildren.

Summing up thepast year, Ms.Schair described it“as the best oftimes and theworst of times,”explaining, “We’vegot more womenin the system,more leaders and ageneral education

of women and the public at large on theissues, but still there are transport and childcare issues for litigants.” Also falling into

the “worst of times” category were inci-dents reported by several committeemembers involving the defacement andremoval of posters announcing domesticviolence awareness programs, under-scoring the need for ongoing anti-biasoutreach and education.

Looking Forward to an Even Better Future

Along with reporting on their latestinitiatives, committee members were askedto comment both on the progress made bywomen in their local districts in recentyears and the problems female litigants,attorneys and employees continue tograpple with.

Gender fairness committee membersfrom the Sixth Judicial District,comprising ten counties in central NewYork, noted that today women represent18 percent of the district’s judicial popula-tion compared to zero percent in 1984.Though still far from representative of thelocal female population, it’s “a good begin-ning,” they said, adding that women arenow highly visible in the legal community,heading local bar associations and chairinglegal committees.

On the downside, the members reportedthat domestic violence remains a pressingproblem for women in the district. Thegood news: specialized courts that take aholistic approach to this scourge havegreatly enhanced victim safety, also making

Judge Kaye displays gift presented by Women in the CourtsCommittee Chair Betty Weinberg Ellerin for the chief judge’sleadership role in helping to level the playing field for femalejudges, court employees and litigants.

REFLECTING ON WOMEN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS, STRUGGLES IN OUR COURTS

“ We’ve got morewomen in the system,more leaders and ageneral education ofwomen and the publicat large on the issues,but still there aretransport and childcare issues for litigants.”

- FERN SCHAIRVice Chair, Women in theCourts Committee

continued on page 6

P A G E 4

SEVERAL JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIM-INAL JUSTICE SENIORS had their day incourt last spring, visiting New YorkCity courtrooms to observe andreport on proceedings as part of anadvanced study of the role andadministration of our judicial branch.The students also participated inclassroom dialogues with local juristsand court administrators, discussinga range of topical issues, from juveniledelinquency to judicial selection, viaa speakers program that began as apilot at the school in 1999.

It’s a unique opportunity for thestudents, providing “a measure ofreality” for seniors interested inpursuing court-related careers, saysProfessor Gila Liska of this mix of fieldwork and conversationwith judges offered by her “Contemporary Administrationand the Judiciary” course. The Fund for Modern Courts, anonprofit organization dedicated to improving the adminis-tration of justice, oversees the course’s court monitoringcomponent, with Professor Liska arranging guest speakersfrom the New York state courts to address the students thispast spring.

Veteran Jurist Gets Up-Close and Personal with StudentsOn a misty morning last May, a small group of seniors filed

into a classroom at the mid-Manhattan college to await thearrival of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice MichaelCorriero, a former prosecutor and criminal defense lawyerwho since 1992 has presided over the court’s Youth Part,where adolescents as young as 13 are tried as adults for seriouscrimes.

It was a hectic morning at the courthouse for the judge, whobegan his talk discussing the difficulties of trying children—who rarely act alone and typically end up committing a crimein response to peer pressure—as adults.

“How do you determine who goes to jail and who gets asecond chance?” asked the jurist, who has the authority tohold off sentencing for youngsters he deems “malleable,”placing them in alternative programs that require they attendschool, observe strict curfews and report to his courtroomregularly, among other demands. If a youngster successfullycompletes such youthful offender treatment, Judge Corrierohas the discretion to seal the child’s record.

“I want somehow to affectthem, to help them see what canbe rather than doom them to a lifeof delinquency, but they have todemonstrate they’re willing tochange,” emphasized the judge,adding that he has no problemputting individuals in jail whodeserve to be there.

Loretta, a 14-year-old girlaccused of robbery in the seconddegree, struck the jurist as a viablecandidate for youthful offendertreatment, he told the students.For one thing, she’d never been in

trouble before. Also, it appeared therobbery was her friend’s idea, eventhough Loretta helped her pal carry

it out by blocking the victim. The judge saw yet anotherglimmer of light in Loretta’s case: perhaps her talent as adancer could serve as a catalyst in turning her life around.

“It’s the lack of a dream that often makes kids more vulner-able to peer pressure,” the judge pointed out, informing theJohn Jay seniors that Loretta is now in juvenile offender treat-ment and so far has been sticking with the educational, curfewand other requirements of her program.

Such programs seem to be more effective than prisonsentences in keeping juvenile offenders out of future trouble,said the judge, noting that 60 to 80 percent of youthfuloffenders sent to jail end up being rearrested within 36months of their release, compared with 17 percent of young-sters who complete youthful offender treatment.

Replacing Despair with Hope Is Key, Stresses JudgeThe daughter of a crack addict and granddaughter of a

recovering drug abuser, Loretta, like most of the adolescentswho wind up in his courtroom, is nonwhite and grew up ina world of poverty, violence and despair, Judge Corriero alsoobserved.

“These youngsters come from the poorest neighborhoodsin the city. I think the door to the American dream has beenclosed since the days when our prison population was madeup of mostly white immigrants. Also, the legacy of slavery issomething we have not satisfactorily addressed in our society,”the judge remarked, responding to a student’s question onhow to approach the racial and socioeconomic inequities in

continued on page 6

Judge Michael Corriero at John Jay College ofCriminal Justice,where last May he spoke to agroup of seniors about the challenges of workingwith juvenile offenders.

Student-Jurist Dialogues EnhanceCollegians’ Study of Courts

There are those who say marriage is onthe wane, though you’d never know itfrom Surrogate’s Court Judge JamesPagones’s hectic wedding calendar.Affectionately dubbed “the marryingjudge” by his staff, the jurist united 56couples in 2003—the first year hestarted counting—and will very likelyexceed that number this year.

By day, the Dutchess County surro-gate, also an acting Supreme Courtjustice, spends his time resolvingdisputes over wills and estates andpresiding over divorce, medical malprac-tice, breach of contract and other civilproceedings. On evenings and week-ends, he can be spotted—usuallysporting a heart-themed tie—at localtown halls, catering establishments andother indoor and outdoor venues, easingcouples through their “I do’s.”

“Marriage seems to be back in voguethese days, even with the high divorcerate,” muses the former Family Courtjudge, who began performing weddingsin 1993 and has since earned a reputa-tion for accommodating couples lookingto get hitched, sometimes on shortnotice.

Memories, Both Tender andAmusing

These days, the judge gets many refer-rals from couples he’s married as well asrequests from witnesses who would likehim to officiate at their own weddings.“You’ve got all ages, all cultures. Peopleare happy, they’re nervous, but neverindifferent,” notes the judge, who overthe years has collected many a sweetmemory and some pretty colorful anec-dotes, too.

There was the terminally ill cancerpatient whose fiancée called, asking if thejudge could marry them as soon aspossible. Judge Pagones showed up thenext day to join the couple in matri-mony, with the groom hooked to an

oxygen tank as he held his bride’s hand.“The wedding took place on a Thursday,and the man died the followingMonday. It was so bittersweet,” he sayssadly.

On a lighter note, Judge Pagonesrecounts a backyard wedding severalsummers ago where the bride and groomwere impeccably dressed, notwith-standing their lack of footwear. The pairtold the judge they wished to be marriedbarefoot, that this held special signifi-cance for them. So the couple wentshoeless, the ceremony went beautifully,and to this day Judge Pagones stilldoesn’t know the reason for this pair’soffbeat request.

A Family Affair, Literally

Be they traditional or otherwise, theweddings seem to come in clusters, saysthe judge. For instance, one Fridayevening last March he performed threeback-to-back ceremonies, with themother of one of the brides informinghim, “This is my third child you’remarrying.”

And speaking of keeping things in thefamily, Wendy Rubenstein was so takenwith sister Shari’s May 1994 weddingceremony, performed by Judge Pagones,that five years later she approached himabout officiating at her Poughkeepsienuptials to John Bohlinger.

“I was so stressed out over all thedetails, but the judge put John and meat ease. It was such a beautiful ceremony,so personalized,” says Wendy, now themother of two who resides with herfamily in Walden, New York.

“We decided to ask Judge Pagones tomarry us because we wanted the cere-mony to be warm and meaningful, andit was everything we wished for . . . Thejudge was a very important part of ourwonderful journey together,” explainsyounger sister Shari, who met hubbySteven Pirone in college through Wendy.

Today, the couple share a home in Penn-sylvania with their two sons.

With exceptions like the Rubensteinsisters, who are family friends and haveknown the jurist since they weretoddlers, most of those who request thejudge’s services meet him for the firsttime on their wedding day. Naturally,with all the couples Judge Pagones hasmarried to date, it’s impossible for himto keep track of everyone. “Though ofall the weddings I’ve performed, I don’tever recall seeing a couple I’ve marriedappear before me on a divorce matter,”he adds proudly.

Maybe that’s just some of the jurist’sown good fortune—the father of twohas been happily married for 22 years,and counting, to Fishkill Town Super-visor Joan Pagones—rubbing off. ◆

P A G E 5

This Judge is the Marrying Kind

Dutchess County Judge James Pagonesofficiating at Shari Rubenstein and StevenPirone’s nuptials in May 1994, the judge’ssecond year on the wedding circuit.The judgehas since performed hundreds of marriageceremonies, uniting 56 couples just last year.

P A G E 6

ANXIETY OVERTOOK FIRST-TIME JUROR AND

ROCHESTER NATIVE SHARON MINIGAN as the day she

was to report for grand jury service neared. “I felt like

a hostage walking in, but by the end of my service I felt

more like a vacationer,” jokes the busy mother of four

and executive assistant for a local Head Start program.

Part of Ms. Minigan’s initial uneasiness about serving

came from her lack of clarity about the role of the grand

jury, whose job she quickly learned is to decide whether

or not there is legally sufficient evidence and reason-

able cause to charge the accused with a felony.

“I came in thinking grand jurors don’t have a personal

role in the process, but now I understand how much our

legal system depends on them,” says Sharon, who over the course of a four-week period listened

to testimony on approximately 70 cases.

Sharon’s grand jury experience has had a lasting impact, not only familiarizing her with the

court process and various aspects of the law but also helping her focus more on the facts, and

rely less on speculation, both at work and in her personal life. “Now I think, let’s stop that bick-

ering and get things done,” she says.

Serving on a grand jury was also a real eye-opener for Sharon, putting her in closer touch with

some of the social ills plaguing her community, particularly the drug-related crimes dispropor-

tionately committed by individuals in their teens and

twenties. “It’s almost like there’s a void early on in the

lives of many of these young people that leads them to

that way of life,” surmises Ms. Minigan, adding that

she no longer takes things for granted and now makes

a point of telling her children how much she loves them.

The foreperson of her grand jury, Sharon says she

actually felt sad the day the jurors parted ways. “We

really bonded in those four weeks, often leaning on one

another, with many of us exchanging phone numbers

on our last day of service,” she recounts.

In fact, Sharon was so taken with the whole experi-

ence that she’s offered to spread the good word about

jury service to others in the community. “No one can say it better than Sharon. She’s a great

partner in our ongoing outreach efforts to minorities and the community at large,” says Monroe

County Commissioner of Jurors Charles Perreaud.

“Word needs to get out about the rewards of serving. I want to tell others that jury service is

an educational experience that will help them in so many ways, also giving them that special

sense of accomplishment that comes with doing one’s civic duty,” adds Ms. Minigan. ◆

NOVICE JUROR GOES FROMANXIOUS TO FULFILLED

our criminal justice system. Throughout the discussion, Judge

Corriero dispensed tips to thestudents on working with at-riskchildren and juvenile offenders.“You must never forget what it’s liketo be a kid. Educate yourself aboutchildren’s culture, their music, theirinterests. You must take measure ofeach child, look at the individualityof that child,” urged the Little Italynative who was the first in hisfamily to attend college.

John Jay senior Dawn Materia, anaspiring inspector general, foundJudge Corriero’s talk inspirational,adding, “This class has allowed usto see the human side of judges, toview them as people, outside of thecourtroom. The system lets a lotpeople down, but meeting JudgeCorriero and the other jurists,who’ve all been great, gives onehope.” ◆

STUDENT-JURIST DIALOGUES -continued from page 4

REFLECTING ON WOMEN’SACCOMPLISHMENTS- continued from page 3

Rochester native and recent jurorSharon Minigan

it easier for these litigants to navi-gate the legal system.

Syracuse Supreme Court JudgeDeborah Karalunas, chair of theFifth Judicial District’s Committeeon Women in the Courts and aformer partner at a large upstate lawfirm, observed that even withwomen’s enrollment at law schoolsat an all-time high, female attorneysdon’t fare as well as their male coun-terparts when it comes to beingmentored or promoted.

As Judge Kaye pointed out earlyon in the meeting, things are defi-nitely looking up but more workremains for our young women andmen in “ensuring that we neverreturn to the days of puttingwomen on pedestals but not onbenches or in boardrooms.” ◆

“I came in thinking grand

jurors don’t have a personal

role in the process, but now I

understand how much our

legal system depends on

them,” says Sharon, who

over the course of a four-week

period listened to testimony

on approximately 70 cases.

P A G E 7

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD JASON EDWARD CROWELL AND MANHATTANSUPREMECOURT JUSTICE JOHNE.H.STACKHOUSE regularly meetat the court—both the courthouse and basketball court, that is.The two, who enjoy a variety of activities together, met morethan two years ago through Mentoring USA, a national programestablished by former First Lady Matilda Cuomo to help keeplow-income youngsters in school and on track.

Jason and Judge Stackhouse are part of Mentoring USA’sMentors at Two Bridges program, formed in 2001 with the goalof diffusing negative stereotypes low-income youth may haveabout the judicial system and educating them about the law. Theprogram pairs youngsters from a lower Manhattan housingproject with judges, lawyers and others working for state andfederal courts located nearby.

“It’s cool having a judge as a friend,” says Jason, an energeticsixth-grader and now-aspiring jurist who also has his eye on a

basketball career. “We truly are friends,” adds Judge Stackhouse,who says the duo, though they don’t always agree, love to teaseeach other and joke around in general.

During the first year of their friendship, the judge invited Jasonto the courthouse for a mock trial. Jason took on the variouscourtroom roles, at one point playing a man accused of murder.He was particularly pleased upon being acquitted by the jury,all Mentoring USA participants.

“The mock trial helped him to understand how the courts canhelp people. He got very interested in the law right then, Ithink,” says the judge, a former Peace Corps volunteer whobecame a mentor following 9-11 to fulfill his need to “give backto the community in a very personal way.”

The two get together every other Tuesday, going over Jason’shomework before heading out to play basketball, pool, pingpong or video games. More often than not, Jason comes out thevictor, the jurist admits.

The pair also attend sports events and visit museums andethnic restaurants, Chinese fare being Jason’s favorite. “Jason’s aclever, funny kid, and a talented athlete with leadership quali-ties and lots of potential,” notes Judge Stackhouse. “It’s veryrewarding spending time with him. He always brightens myday.”

Jason, who claims to get his sense of humor from his mom, isequally grateful to the judge for helping him with his decimalsand giving him the opportunity to find out what judges reallydo. “I learned judges have authority to make important deci-sions, and that juries make important decisions, too,” says theengaging youngster, whose hope is “to become famous and havesome sneakers named after me.”

Whether Jason makes it big in basketball, goes on to law schoolor pursues another field entirely, the judge plans to stay in touchwith him. “I’ll be there for him. If he really wants to be a judge,I’ll do my best to help him,” adds Judge Stackhouse. ◆

Inner City Youngster and Jurist Form Special Bond

INTERESTED IN SHARING YOUR JURY EXPERIENCE WITH OUR READERS?

We’d like to hear from you. We also welcome any comments about the newsletter as well as story ideas for futureissues.Please send juror anecdotes, newsletter suggestions and story ideas to:

Arlene Hackel, NYS Unified Court System 25 Beaver Street, Suite 867, New York, NY 10004

E-mail address: ahackel@courts.state.ny.us

Jury Pool News is published quarterly by the New York State Unified Court System’s Office of Public Affairs.

Questions, comments or suggestions about the jury system? Call 1-800-NY-JUROR, e-mail us at nyjuror @courts.state.ny.us or write to Chief Judge Judith Kaye, Continuing Jury Reform, 25 Beaver Street, New York, NY 10004

Judge Stackhouse and Jason Edward Crowell at the judge’sManhattan chambers

P A G E 8

ACROSS

1. Winnie the Pooh, e.g.5. Floating wooden

structure 9. Gymnast’s need 12. Caviar15. Humorist Bombeck16. Chief’s title in

Middle Eastern parts17. Man18. __ Stanley Gardner,

Perry Mason creator20. Negative votes21. Popular soft drink 22. Look at intently23. Port in Yemen24. The state, in a criminal

case27. Diamonds, rubies, etc.28. Supplication31. Prefix with “cycle”32. Celebrity

34. Decay35. Tooth specialist’s

degree: abbr.37. Musical symbol40. Woman’s name42. Dine43. Spirit46. Bedouin48. Pen point 50. Pace of some race

horses52. Campaigned a second

time54. Umpire’s call,maybe55. __-la-la56. Kid 58. Currency in 23-Acrossl 60. Stored in a secret place63. Compass point 64. Out of style 66. Spelling contest 67. Place for a thespian71. Lustrous fabric

73. Aviators rely on thiscommand center:abbreviation

74. Small body of water 75. Sharp sound77. Existed79. First course, perhaps82. One’s John Hancock, for

short 83. Jean and Laurent de

Brunhoff’s lovableelephant

85. Effortlessness86. Prefix with “lateral”87. Ms.McEntire, of the

entertainment world 89. Wallach and Whitney91. Healthful place93. Highway, for short94. Screenwriter Ephron96. Star of the 1959 film,

“Gidget”98. Head of a newspaper

staff

100. Direction sometimesgiven by 98-Across

102. It’s less serious thana felony

107. Pastry choice108. Cain’s brother109. Musical group110. The “A” in B.A.114. Name of a Russian

mountain range 115. Trigonometric

function116. East, to a Madrid

native117. Do a private eye’s

work118. Pub order119. The now-retired

Concorde, for one:abbreviation

120. Changed the color of121. TV award

DOWN

1. Actor Affleck 2. Period3. Jimmy Carter’s

daughter4. Like a smoker’s voice5. Device for 117-

Across6. Hebrew prophet 7. Do a clerical task 8. Parcel of land 9. The Three Wise Men

10. Telephone greetingin Paris

11. Adolescents12. Fortieth U.S.

president13. Judge’s warning,

perhaps: 4 words14. Basic, for short 17. Application for a

court ruling 19. Naval officer of a

certain ranking:abbreviation

25. Bold color26. Ornamental vase28. Ready, to Pierre29. Make a lion’s sound30. Eliot Spitzer holds

this New York office:2 words

33. Danson or Turner36. Winter vehicle

38. Also39. They’re cousins of

the ostrich 41. Dismal 44. Desert-like45. Certain

grandparents,familiarly

47. Command for asoldier: abbreviation

49. Evil51. The legendary Ms.

Turner 53. Relating to birth57. Place a wager59. Fasten again61. Lawyer’s

organization:abbreviation

62. Fixes, as bail65. Prima donna67. Recipe

measurement:abbreviation

68. Groundbreaking1960s musical

69. Government arm:abbreviation

70. Jurist’s attire72. Suffix with “good” 76. Friend 78. Relied (on)80. “Do __ others . . .”81. Harbor83. The legal profession84. Puzzling question88. Glass container90. View92. “Much __ About

Nothing,”Shakespeare work

95. Accumulate97. Surround closely 99. Livid

100. The Little family’sadorable rodent,for short

101. Scarlett O’Hara’shome

103. Wading bird104. Mailed105. Simple106. Poker stake 111. Ewe’s mate112. Country music star

McGraw113. Like a fox

1 1

21

16

25

22 23

1

1

2429

28 29 32 331

34

1 1 1

1

1

11

1 1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

68

1

194 95

1

1

1

91

98 9997

1

1

90

71

76

84

72

78 79

70

75

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1817

12 13 14

20

15

30

41

48 49

36 3735 38 39

47

50 51

56

63 64

57

52

105

114

118

109 106

115 116 117

119 121

107 108 109121

120

74

82

43 44 4542

69

65

8583

89

96

55

40

58

113110 111 112

60 61

66

62

73

59

87 8868 68

67

70

70

70

70

70

70

100 101 102 103 104

46

53 54

80 8177

19

27

100100

26

31

C O U R T S I D E C R O S S W O R D

86

9392

P A G E 8

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