How to apply
This program is open to classes of students in grades 11 or 12 of high school or the first or second year of college. Educators interested in using the Tyler historic courtroom should complete the Registration form and email it to the Tyler Point of Contact (POC).
Educators may request a date during the second full week of each available month: January, February, March, April, September, October, and November. Currently, one two-hour session during the court’s business hours is offered per available month. Please indicate your requested date(s) on the registration form. Events are subject to cancellation based on unexpected court needs.
Activity packets
The following educational activities prepared by the U.S. Courts are suited for use with the personnel and resources available in this program.
- United States v. Alvarez. This First Amendment activity offers a simulation of an appellate hearing and a worksheet for analyzing legal arguments, which can be completed in a roughly 60-minute courtroom session with additional discussion in the classroom.
- Brendlin v. California. This activity offers a roughly 60-minute courtroom program, depending on the length of discussion segments, in the format of an Oxford-style debate about the search and seizure of passengers in a vehicle.
Requirements
Attendees will be required to pass through a metal detector and security screening. Phones, laptops, smart devices, and other electronics may not be brought into the courthouse. Please note that court proceedings may be in session when your group arrives, and your group must adhere to court decorum. Details on decorum and logistics will be provided when your group is scheduled. The court’s website also contains information about visiting the courthouse.
About the program
The historic courtroom is on the third floor of the William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse at 221 W. Ferguson St., Tyler, Texas. Built in the Classical Revival style by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, the courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Tyler U.S. Post Office and Courthouse.
The historic courtroom was the building’s original courtroom and continues to host judicial proceedings today. It is significant as a symbol of the federal government’s presence in Tyler and was used by the jurist for whom the building is now named, Judge William M. Steger, a World War II veteran honored by a display in the courthouse lobby. Gratitude is extended to summer intern Stratton Hibbs for work developing these resources.