TOPEKA – The Topeka Bar Association gave its 2014 Liberty Bell Award to Judge G. Joseph Pierron of the Kansas Court of Appeals for his work on a Constitution Day project that involves helping organize Constitution Day activities in Seaman USD 345 schools.
Pierron recruited judges from the Court of Appeals and Third Judicial District, and an attorney from the Kansas Bar Association’s board of governors, to deliver the Constitution Day program last September to about 2,000 Seaman district students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Other Court of Appeals judges who delivered programs were Karen Arnold-Burger and David Bruns. Shawnee County District Court judges were Cheryl Rios Kingfisher, Evelyn Wilson and Nancy Parrish. Terri Bezek presented on behalf of the Kansas Bar Association. Seaman district teachers Susan Sittenauer and Debra Stewart helped coordinate the effort.
Pierron has delivered programs to Seaman students, primarily at the high school level, since 1996.
“Over the last few years, we’ve expanded the program to involve more students,” Pierron said. “Then, last year we made it our goal to reach as many Seaman district students as possible with a quality Constitution Day program. We succeeded by presenting at least one program in nearly every school in the district.”
Judges who helped deliver the programs had materials that ranged from basic to complex, so content was appropriate for students’ ages and grades. All focused on the importance of the U.S. Constitution in establishing the federal system of government and the powers assigned to its three branches: legislative, executive and judicial.
The Topeka Bar Association gives the Liberty Bell Award to individuals who provide outstanding service to their community in ways that strengthen the American system of freedom under the law. The recipient is not required to be an attorney, but he or she must meet one or more of the following criteria:
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promote a better understanding of our Constitution and Bill of Rights;
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encourage greater respect for law and the courts;
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stimulate a deeper sense of individual responsibility so citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights;
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contribute to the effective functioning of government;
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foster a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law.
Pierron has been a Court of Appeals judge since 1990. He was a district judge in Olathe from 1982 and assistant county and district attorney in Johnson County from 1971.
In 2011, Pierron received the American Bar Association Burnham (Hod) Greely Award, “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to promoting public awareness of the importance of a fair, impartial and independent judiciary.”