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2019 Civics Local Contest Winners Announced

The U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California hosted a Civics Contest (Local Contest) for high school students with the theme: “What is an ‘Unreasonable Search and Seizure’ in the Digital Age?”  Students in grades nine through twelve were asked to consider the significance of the Fourth Amendment and discuss how it protects information the government or others may obtain from their smart phone, voice activated personal assistant, other electronic devices, and social media postings.  The Local Contest was held in conjunction with an essay and video competition sponsored by the Ninth Circuit for high school students in the Western United States (Ninth Circuit Contest). 

The following students submitted the top essays:

  • First place – $1,000:  Aaron Wu, Arcadia High School in Arcadia;
  • Second place – $750:  Jessica Chou, Arcadia High School in Arcadia;
  • Third place – $500:  Elle Yokota, Arcadia High School in Arcadia;
  • Fourth place – Honorable mention:  Kendrick Choi, Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita; and
  • Fifth place – Honorable mention:  Andrew Hoagland, Arcadia High School in Arcadia.

The following students submitted the top videos:

  • First place – $1,000:  The team of Michael Huang and Tanya Chen, Arcadia High School in Arcadia;
  • Second place – $750:  The team of Aaron Wu, Jessica Chou, and Maxwell Tong, Arcadia High School in Arcadia;
  • Third place – $500:  The team of Joseph Pimentel, Marc Carrillo, and Yasmin Pineda, Rubidoux High School in Riverside; 
  • Fourth place – Honorable mention:  Wyatt Grauman, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, in Tarzana; and
  • Fifth place – Honorable mention:  Parikshit Pandya, Dinushi Pathirana, and Amy Nguyen, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, in Tarzana.

The first, second, and third place essays and videos were automatically entered into the Ninth Circuit Contest to compete with winners from all other districts in the Ninth Circuit.  Winners of the Ninth Circuit Contest will be announced on June 10, 2019.  Ninth Circuit Contest winners will receive $2,000 (first place); $1,000 (second place), and $500 (third place).  If a student wins the Local Contest and the Ninth Circuit Contest, that student will receive up to a total of $3,000!  

Additional Recognition:  First place winners* of the Local Contest and a parent/guardian will also receive two nights’ lodging and roundtrip airfare to attend the annual Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference on July 22, 2019 in Spokane, Washington where the Ninth Circuit Contest winners will be announced.

*Budgetary limitations preclude funding for both first place video team members to travel to Spokane, Washington.  As such, only one student and a parent/guardian will receive two nights’ lodging and roundtrip airfare to attend the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.