Virginia's Judicial History:
The Blueprint For Our Country
A Documentary Narrative

Democracy rests on the foundations of law and order. Educating citizens about our judicial system is a high priority of the Supreme Court of Virginia. In his 2004 State of the Judiciary message, Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. stated, "I remain very concerned about the public's lack of understanding of the concept and importance of judicial independence. Our democracy cannot, and will not, function without a strong independent judiciary that enjoys the support and respect of all Virginians…A strong and independent judiciary is the greatest safeguard of individual rights, property rights, liberty, and freedom."

Teaching anyone about the court system can be difficult. Teachers need tools to help explain and illuminate the complexities of this important subject. Therefore, the Supreme Court of Virginia will produce a documentary — "Virginia's Judicial History, The Blueprint for Our Country" — in partnership with the Virginia Law Foundation, the Library of Virginia and the Community Idea Stations. The working group for the project believes that the best way to begin educating people about the court system is to produce a documentary explaining Virginia's judicial history. This will provide the viewer with a clear understanding of the origins, structure and foundations of our court system and will also highlight the little known fact that most of the court systems in the country are actually patterned after the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Produced by WCVE Richmond, the program will be a major public television program scheduled to air during the 2007 broadcast season. After multiple airings in Virginia, the program will be made available to PBS stations for broadcast across the country. In addition, a DVD of the program will be distributed to more than 500 schools across Virginia. Segments will be aligned with applicable Standards of Learning and made accessible to teachers through a website, so that they may use the program to augment their lessons in judicial history.

VBA members and others who wish to support this project may make checks or online gifts payable to the VBA Foundation (note Attn: Judicial Documentary) and send to the VBA Foundation, 701 East Franklin Street, Suite 1120, Richmond, VA 23219. Contributors of $1,000 or more will receive on-air recognition and an invitation to the documentary preview reception. For more details, please call Katherine Godin, director of special gifts for the Community Idea Stations, at (804) 560-8261.

Working Group for Development of "Virginia's Judicial History: The Blueprint For Our Country"

EDUCATION
Jayne Barnard, Law Professor, The College of William and Mary
Dean Rodney A. Smolla, School of Law, University of Richmond
Dr. Beverly Thurston, Coordinator, History and Social Sciences, Office of Middle and High School Instruction, Virginia Department of Education

LIBRARY RESOURCE
Conley Edwards, Virginia State Archivist, Library of Virginia
Lee Shepard, Director of Manuscripts & Archives, Virginia Historical Society
Gail Warren, Virginia Law Librarian, Supreme Court of Virginia

INDEPENDENT
Lynn Brackenridge, Executive Director, John Marshall Foundation
Emily Charnock, Research Assistant for Mason Mills, University of Virginia
John H. Felton, Vice President and General Manager, WCVE
Mark Greenough, Supervisor and Historian, State Capitol Guided Tours, actor "John Marshall"
Mary Beth McIntire, Executive Director, The Library of Virginia Foundation
Mason Mills, Documentary Script Writer and Producer, WCVE

SUPREME COURT
Senior Justice Harry L. Carrico
Dr. Thomas Diggs, Assistant Director of Judicial Programs
Sandra Karison, Esq., Assistant Director of Legal Research
Dr. Cyril W. Miller, Jr., Director, Judicial Planning
Steven Dalle Mura, Esq., Director, Legal Research
Elaine Terretta-Benko, Judicial Planning, Grants Writer

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