LHS showcases legal skills in mock trial

Mar. 1—Armed with binders full of case documents, students from Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst showcased their public speaking and debate skills in a mock trial as part of an exhibition organized by the Yuba Sutter Bar Association.

Tuesday's mock trial was held at the Sutter County Superior Courthouse, giving students a platform to prepare legal material for a fictional criminal case in a real courtroom while in the presence of real judges and other court officials.

Under this program, students interact with attorneys, local judges, drama coaches, and students from other schools while working in a team to develop and present their arguments.

Lindhurst High School's mock trial team is the first group to form out of Yuba County, said Morgan Devico, mock trial coach and an English teacher for Lindhurst High. Having competed in mock trial competitions as a student, Devico has been coaching for the program since 2014. After joining Lindhurst High in August last year, the school's mock trial team formed two weeks after the start of the school year, she said.

Because Lindhurst High's team is the first to form in the Yuba-Sutter area, it has been unable to compete on the local or county level like other mock trial groups in the state. Instead, the team was able to compete against Sacramento teams in the Sacramento County Mock Trial Competition in January.

The Yuba Sutter Bar Association is looking to expand the mock trial program in Yuba County, creating a local competition where high school students will have the opportunity to connect with local attorneys and compete with their peers.

During the Sacramento competition, students Tyson Williams and Melanie Xiong won awards for top witnesses, which put them in the top 10% of students competing in their role. Fellow student Zaira Miranda was also voted MVP for Lindhurst High by judges and scorers, Devico said.

At Tuesday's mock trial, 14 students in grades 9-11 argued their case in the fictional hearing People v. Franks. Jordan Franks, the defendant played by Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré, is a young actor who finished a run of performances of the Shakespeare-adaptation "Macbeth at Sea" on a cruise ship. In this case, Franks is charged with robbery and battery of a fellow actor, Billie Scher, who alleged that Franks stole his ring that used to belong to William Shakespeare and is valued at $170,000.

The prosecution argued that Franks had the motive to rob Scher based on extreme envy of Scher's recent success as an actor. In turn, the defense argued that there is no evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Franks stole Scher's ring or used any intentional force against him.

Both counsels were given the opportunity to make opening and closing statements, call witnesses and present evidence.

Students on both counsels participated in a pretrial hearing to determine whether a piece of evidence could be admitted. The pretrial argument centers on the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. In this case, the defense alleged that a fictional detective coerced the defendant's consent to searching their home without a warrant.

Over the course of the trial, different witnesses attested to the character of Franks and Scher. Expert witnesses were also called to testify to the true value of the stolen ring.

Sutter County Judge David Ashby presided over the mock trial and instructed those in the gallery to render a verdict based on the strength of the arguments made. Franks was found not guilty.

Devico said that following this trial, she hopes to help her students improve their understanding of legal procedure and how the law operates.

"I'd like to focus on learning cultural knowledge, how a courtroom functions, learning those sets of skills that are necessary to that environment and procedural knowledge. I'd like to see students have a deeper, broad understanding of how the legal system works," she said.

Mock trials give students a platform to practice skills such as public speaking, debate and acting, Devico said. She believes that her students are drawn to it because they are given a platform to combine these activities as a team in a unique setting.

"There's the team aspect of it. Everyone is building something together to create a case, and there are so many opportunities to showcase their skills. Students who want to be witnesses may be more like actors while students who want to be one of the lawyers can highlight their speech and debate skills. It's the fact that they're working as a team and building a community while featuring a wide variety of skills," Devico said.