Civic program teaches students the meaning of citizenship © St.
Petersburg Times Imagine 1,200 students competing, not over who
can hit a ball farthest or run fastest, but over who has the
greatest depth of knowledge and understanding in our
constitutional democracy. Last weekend, classes of students came
to Washington D.C. from every state to compete in the annual "We
the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution" national
finals. Those of us lucky enough to judge the event -- a coterie
of state Supreme Court justices, law school deans, attorneys and
others -- walked away with an appreciation (if not awe) of the
intellectual vigor of our nation's youth. Think our education
system is in tatters? Just come listen to sophomores, juniors
and seniors -- primarily from public schools -- expound on this
question: "Why and how do rule of law, popular sovereignty, and
freedom of expression help a society like ours realize its civic
values?" Or this one: "How and when did the right of habeas
corpus develop in Engl