On Tuesday, November 5th, Hawthorn students visited the Stamford Superior Court to see our Country's justice system at work. Greeted by the Connecticut Public Defender, students were seated in the courtroom of Judge Robert Golger.  The Judge referred students to the Declaration of Independence as the original statement of Americans’ desire for the right to a jury trial, and was pleased when students enthusiastically responded to his question, “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?”  Next, a Connecticut State Prosecutor walked everyone through the intricacies of his professional work in the Court, and urged students to work hard at their studies for their future professional and personal success. The student group was then led to the spectator benches of a court in session.  Prosecution and defense attorneys presented the arguments for their respective clients and were subject to the sometimes pointed questioning of Judge White, a Harvard Law graduate who appeared well-respected by the court attorneys. Students witnessed court-appointed interpreters helping defendants respond to questioning and even saw one defendant handcuffed and led off to jail by the bailiffs.  Later, as students ate lunch in an empty courtroom, a senior bailiff explained his many fascinating experiences over his twenty-year career as an Officer of the Court.  Finally the group toured the austere holding cells where the criminally accused await court appearances and are taken into custody after conviction and sentencing. Before leaving, the bailiff confided to our students that after a lifetime serving his country in the U.S. military and experiencing other countries (e.g.Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines), he has concluded that the American system of justice and government, while not without flaws, is a wonderful blessing to be cherished with gratitude and never to be taken for granted.