This year, Jefferson Community Center had two teams with a total of 28 students ranging in age from 14-18 years old participate in Mock Trial. These students represent Cleveland, Garfield and Franklin High Schools. One of Jefferson Community Center’s teams placed 7th in District and has been invited to compete in the 2016 Mock Trial State Championship in Olympia on March 18-20.
Mock Trial is a program that allows students to learn about our legal system by researching case law and arguing legal issues. Teams compete around the state in drama-filled courtroom performances that are rated by real judges and lawyers.
This year, Mock Trial participants worked on a case to determine if a person was wrongly convicted and entitled to $150,000 for the three years spent in prison. The person’s conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeals for three reasons: 1) Due Process violations related to a suggestive photo identification conducted by the police; 2) The discovery of new exculpatory evidence; 3) Ineffective assistance of counsel at the criminal trial. After the Court of Appeals remanded the case for a new trial, the case was dismissed.
Congratulations to all the teams that participated this year and good luck to Jefferson Community Center as they compete in Olympia!
