Mr. Robert Sandler shares that his AP U.S. History students took an afterschool trip to interview Magistrate Judge James L. Cott of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. As part of the National History Day Contest, the students are researching the landmark Loving vv. Virginia case (1967) that overturned a law banning racial intermarriage. Prior to joining the court, Judge Cott was the Chief of the US Attorney’s Office Civil Division and Associate Director of the NAACP’s legal division.
They sat with the judge and his clerks and discussed the 14th Amendment, the Warren Court and how Loving laid the ground work for the recent Supreme Court case involving gay marriage. The students were thrilled to get a personal tour of his office and courtroom, but the highlight was his “peace room” decorated with photos of the Ireland peace talks, Oslo, Mandela and other historic political compromises. Judge Cott stated that whenever contentious litigators can’t come to a settlement, he takes them here to inspire reconciliation. The students loved this intimate experience discussing constitutional law and seeing where these issues all unfold. (photos courtesy of Mr. Sandler)
