Rule of Law and the U.S. Legal System | A Multi-Regional Project

Eleven participants within varying legal fields from the Near East Africa region participated in a three-week long virtual IVLP on the topic of Rule of Law in the U.S. Legal System. The project examined the underlying principles of the U.S. judicial and legal systems and their basis in the Constitution and the rule of law. It also deepened the participants' understanding of the federal and state judicial systems for both criminal and civil matters under the U.S. model of federalism. Participants began with meetings in Washington, DC and spoke to resources from New Orleans, Louisiana and Salt Lake City, Utah. The meetings in Washington, DC provided an overview of U.S. Federalism and the U.S. judicial system, including a Keynote address from Professor David Fontana of the George Washington University School of Law.

Participants met with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and learned about the variety of legal work that the Office conducts, including their role in ensuring ethical behavior of public officials and government accountability. They also had the opportunity to meet with the Utah State Court and hear from judges on the independence of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government. In New Orleans, participants had the opportunity to learn more about the legal system in academia during their meeting with Professor Katherine Mattes of Tulane Law School.

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