Power of Democracy | Judicial Branch of California

Appointed: July 2013 Sunset: September 30, 2024
Charge: to implement the Chief Justice's civic education initiatives
Chair: Judith D. McConnell, Administrative Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District

On February 1, Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero appointed Justice Judith McConnell and Santa Clara County Judge Julia Alloggiamento to lead the judicial branch's implementation of the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative. Details are contained in this news release.

Final Report

On September 19, 2023, Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell presented to the Judicial Council a 10-year retrospective on the work of the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative. Justice MoConnell was appointed by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero in February 2024 to continue leading the initiative for courts to adopt. Courts forming local Power of Democracy partnerships is a model recommended in the K-12 Task For Report. Santa Clara County Judge Julia Alloggiomento was appointed vice-chair. See news release. View video here.

About

Background
Established by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye in 2013 to further Californians’ understanding of their judicial branch. The Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative was adopted by current Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and will continue to engage schools, and encourage students to learn about the courts, and the role of the judiciary through service learning and classroom based lessons.

The Steering Committee
The POD Steering Committee was founded on the recommendations of the Commission for Impartial Courts Final Report, Recommendations 37 and 43. The Committee was appointed to two-year terms by the Chief Justice, piloted programs and built partnerships before sunsetting in 2023. The initiative evolved out from committee oversight and into a robust, tested initiative for every court to adopt.

Judicial Council Public Affairs staff support the initiative.

Members

The Chief Justice serves as the honorary chair and appoints a chair of the steering committee and members of the steering committee represented as follows:

Committee Chair	Hon. Judith D. McConnell, Chair Administrative Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District
Justices of the Court of Appeal	Hon. Stacy Boulware Eurie Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District Hon. Halim Dhanidina (Ret.)
Judicial Officers of the Superior Courts	Hon. Julia Alloggiamento Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Hon. Carolyn M. Caietti Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Hon. Kristen A. Lucena Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Butte
Judicial Officers of the Federal Courts	Hon. Consuelo María “Connie” Callahan Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Chief Justice's Representative	Erin Rosenberg Attorney, Staff to Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero
County Superintendent of Schools	David W. Gordon Superintendent of Schools Sacramento County Office of Education
Civic Education Leader	Michelle M. Herczog Coordinator, History-Social Science Los Angeles County Office of Education
California Lawyers Association Representative	Jerrilyn Malana Chief Deputy District Attorney, Human Resources San Diego County District Attorney's Office
Student Representative	Ria Srivastava Vista del Lago High School Folsom Cordova Unified School District Student Member

Civic Learning Awards

The Civic Learning Award for California public elementary, middle, and high schools, is co-sponsored by California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Each year, the award spotlights successful efforts to engage students in civic learning and identifies models that can be replicated in other schools.

Task Force Report

The California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning was created to bring definition to the skills, knowledge, and dispositions our students need to be informed and engaged citizens and community members, including serving as jurors and court-users. The Task Force’s final report is a blueprint for how we can achieve these outcomes for all students in California.