Operation Protect and Defend was designed by judges, lawyers and educators to target under-served high school students and students most likely to benefit from additional civic and government education. Teams of attorneys and judges go into the classroom to engage in a dialogue with students about legal cases and concepts arising from a written curriculum. OPD educates future jurors and voters, encourages students to become active citizens and increases student awareness of civic responsibility.

Click here for OPD’s website.


Program Topics & Participating Schools

Each year, the program highlights a topic that connects students to current issues, such as:

  • Due process and criminal trials.

  • Immigrants and the Constitution.

  • Constitutional rights on campus: How free?

  • Student speech: How free?

  • World War II Japanese internment.

  • Racism and lawlessness in the South.

UCDavis_International Attornesy and Judges.jpg

Interested in involving your school? 

Contact Chi Soo Kim, Executive Chair of OPD
Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse
501 I Street, Suite 10-100
Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 554-2700

To donate to Operation Protect and Defend, visit our donations page here.

Our Mission
We promote the public's understanding of an independent judiciary, the rule of law in American society, and the rich history of the Sacramento area federal courts.

Support
We are a charitable non-profit public benefit corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation seeks both individual and institutional support, with an emphasis on support from public and private foundations that focus on making gifts and grants to support public education about the Nation's judicial heritage and the role of federal courts in California's history.1

Want to help? Click here.

Contact: Clark Kelso
Email: contact@sacjlc.com
Phone: (916) 425-1319