District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands

N E W S  R E L E A S E

Ninth Circuit Extends Deadline for Entries in
2020 High School Civics Contest

SAN FRANCISCO -- The 2020 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, an essay and video competition for high school students sponsored by federal courts of the western United States, has been extended.  The new deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. For more information, visit https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest.

In light of the Coronavirus 2019, or COVID-19, many school districts have closed their schools for up to three weeks and moving to distance learning programs whenever possible. The contest may provide a good opportunity for high school students in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, to participate in the contest while school is out and they are submitting assignments to their class websites.

The theme of the contest, "The Right to Vote: Milestone Anniversaries," poses the following challenge to participants:

In the wake of the 15^th and 19^th Amendments, barriers remained to prevent
United States citizens from voting. Do formal or informal barriers remain
today? What additional changes would you make, if any, to Americans'
voting rights?

Students in grades 9-12 may enter the contest and submit their essays using a mobile phone as an option. However, this option is not available for video entries due to large file sizes. Students may enter both the essay and video competitions. A student is allowed to submit one essay and to submit one video either as an individual or part of a team of up to three members.

The contest is cosponsored by the Courts and Community Committee of the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit and the federal courts in the 15 judicial districts that make up the circuit. For more information about the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, please contact the Ninth Circuit Office of the Circuit Executive, (415) 355-8873 / civicscontest@ce9.uscourts.gov.

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