Bring Your Kids to Work Day at Kings County Supreme Court

April 9, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Hon. Laura Lee Jacobson, Yvonne R. Marin, Reece, Izetta Johnson and Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix During the Brooklyn Supreme Court's Bring Your Child to Work Day. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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The Supreme Court Gender Fairness Committee hosted its annual Bring Your Child to Work Day program at the Kings County Supreme Court on Wednesday.

All court employees had an opportunity to bring their kids with them to work for the day where they were treated to lunch, learned CPR, participated in a mock trial and got their fingerprints taken.

“They get a chance to learn what their parents do,” said Hon. Laura Lee Jacobson. “It’s one thing when you tell them that you work in a court, but they don’t really know what that means. This gives them a chance to learn about it and also the many different jobs that are performed here.”

It’s a long tradition at the courthouse, going back to the 1980s. Charmaine Johnson recalled bringing her son to work more than 20 years ago. She said it must have rubbed off on him, because he eventually got a job at a court. Now she brings her niece’s children, 14-year-old Armani and 6-year-old Ariel.

In previous years, a court officer would dress up as a clown and perform magic tricks for the kids. But these days the mock trial is the highlight. Each role in the courtroom is performed by one of the kids while the judges instruct them on what they’re supposed to do. At the end, a jury decides the fate of one of the children.

“It’s nice that they have this,” said court reporter Kelly Swasey. “They’ve done it several years now. Everybody’s favorite part was the mock trial. The children … played the different jobs, and they went in the back and deliberated and everything. It was so much fun.”

Wednesday’s verdict? Not guilty.