Civics in the First Circuit

“Justice Breyer has deep ties to this Circuit and to the Moakley Federal Courthouse. He also has long emphasized the important role that courts play in making our democracy work.  It is thus fitting that the Breyer Center will now be there to serve as a vibrant and dynamic space through which the people of the First Circuit will be able to learn, firsthand, about the place of courts in our constitutional system of government.”

 - Chief Judge David J. Barron, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

The Breyer Learning Center provides a place for the public to learn first-hand what the courts do and how they fit in to the constitutional system. Various civic engagement activities are planned for learners of all ages and backgrounds, with an emphasis on teachers and students. Programs include teachers' institutes and speaker events, augmentation of Discovering Justice's student-centered programs, and special events such as the Bill of Rights Day awards ceremony, "You Be the Judge" sessions, and the engaging Supreme Court in Your Hometown program. Chief Judge Barron envisions that the space will engage and attract judges, prominent speakers in the legal and education communities, members of the bar, and state and local court partners, as well.

The Breyer Learning Center is housed in the First Circuit library on the ninth floor of the John J. Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston. The 2,800-square-foot space includes a 1,000-square-foot glass-enclosed multi-purpose training room, adjacent areas for group visits, and engaging exhibits highlighting the role of the courts in our democracy. 

About Justice Breyer

Stephen G. Breyer (Retired), Associate Justice,
was born in San Francisco, California, August 15, 1938. He married Joanna Hare in 1967, and has three children - Chloe, Nell, and Michael. He received an A.B. from Stanford University, a B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to Justice Arthur Goldberg of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1964 Term, as a Special Assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Antitrust, 1965–1967, as an Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, 1973, as Special Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, 1974–1975, and as Chief Counsel of the committee, 1979–1980. He was an Assistant Professor, Professor of Law, and Lecturer at Harvard Law School, 1967–1994, a Professor at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 1977–1980, and a Visiting Professor at the College of Law, Sydney, Australia and at the University of Rome. From 1980–1990, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as its Chief Judge, 1990–1994. He also served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1990–1994, and of the United States Sentencing Commission, 1985–1989. President Clinton nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat August 3, 1994. Justice Breyer retired from the Supreme Court on June 30, 2022. 

Biography from the U.S. Supreme Court

The Breyer Center is pleased to partner with Discovering Justice.

Discovering Justice works with school systems, judges, nonprofits, community volunteers, and the legal community to examine the workings of the justice system, explore the ideals of justice, and help young people prepare to engage in our democracy. This approach is rooted in the founding vision of Boston’s John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, designed as a vibrant center for civic education and community activity.  Discovering Justice provides in-school civics curricula, courthouse events, and an after-school Mock Trial Program.