“All rise for the judge,” the court clerk called to the 14 Gr. 11 and Gr. 12 Law 40S students, the accused, and the defense and Crown witnesses at Morris School June 4. Teacher and judge Daniel Lehman presided over the one-hour trial in “Maverick Court.
“These mock trials are a great way to practise their public speaking skills, think on their feet, and put into action the theories they’ve been learning,” shared Lehman of the popular annual event. “We attended a few cases at the Manitoba Law Courts in mid-March and within two weeks of our visit saw an alleged murder get thrown out from lack of evidence. “
For the sixth year, students spent several days participating in the mock trials, with themes ranging from theft and assault to uttering threats. The teens take on the roles of lawyers, court clerk, jury members, or members of the press. School staff, former students, and local business leaders act as witnesses to the crime.
“There is more pressure in the real-life interactions with people from our community and the students get to move past the scripts they’ve prepared and reapproach a question if they don’t get the answer they want,” explained Lehman.
Acting as a defense witness, school staff member Kevin Stevenson added, “You can’t help but feel a bit of tension [as the court progresses] because no one knows if the accused has actually committed the crime. The students learn the seriousness of committing crimes and hopefully learn to not associate themselves with people who get in trouble.”
The June 4 court tried “Keri Jones” with the theft of a pink mypod shuffler after leaving a store without providing payment.
“You must prove that Jones is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” reminded Judge Lehman as the jurors left the room.
Following a 10-minute deliberation, the session ended in a hung jury of 3-3, for the first time in Maverick Court history. Lehman encouraged the jurors to take an additional 24 hours to think over if the accused had a legal right to the mypod, permission to take the item from the store, and determine guilt using only evidence provided in the court room, its weight, and common sense.
The following morning, Jones was found guilty 5-1.
Additional trials for other various crimes were held on June 8 and 9th.
