Around the country, and especially during the recent election cycle, news headlines have often painted a discouraging picture of civic life and community. We see division everywhere: partisan gridlock in Washington; citizen mistrust of government and law enforcement; and the tumultuous and astonishingly uncivil presidential campaign.
Some citizens deal with it by getting angrier; others become cynical and just tune out. But all three branches of our democracy are weakened when citizens do not participate constructively in civic life.
The oath of attorney we all took in Washington presupposes service and constructive civic engagement in the judicial branch. The judicial branch is where we work every...