JUDGES AND LAWYERS CONDUCT A DIALOGUE ON FREEDOM WITH SAN DIEGO CITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON SEPT. 11

SAN DIEGO, CA, September 10, 2002 -- On the one-year anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks in the nation’s history, the San Diego County Bar Association, in partnership with San Diego City Schools, will send 226 judges and lawyers into 200 high school classrooms to convene a “Dialogue on Freedom,” exploring core American values and ideals such as liberty, equality, and democracy. The Sept. 11 program will involve more than 7,800 San Diego high school students and be the largest program of its kind in the nation.

Dialogue facilitators include SDCBA President Monty A. McIntyre, San Diego City Schools Superintendent Alan D. Bersin, City Attorney Casey Gwinn, and District Attorney Paul Pfingst, leading the students through thought-provoking discussions designed to challenge their ideas about democracy, liberty and responsibility.

“It is most fitting for judges and lawyers to discuss fundamental American values with our students,” according to SDCBA President Monty A. McIntyre. “And, our 226 judges and lawyers represent each of the 226 years of freedom we Americans have been blessed with since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.”

Lawyer and judge facilitators will present to the classrooms a hypothetical situation designed to provoke a lively discussion of the students’ beliefs about freedom and the consequences of living in a free society.

“Open discussions such as the Dialogue on Freedom are an important part of the learning experience,” said Superintendent of San Diego City Schools Alan D. Bersin. “We are grateful for this partnership with more than 200 judges and lawyers to lead these meaningful discussions in our classrooms.”

San Diego’s Dialogue on Freedom is based on a national program conceived by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks and developed with the American Bar Association.

Additional information on the Dialogue event is available at the Bar’s Web site, www.sdcba.org.

The 7,500 member San Diego County Bar Association was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in downtown San Diego at 1333 Seventh Avenue.