Tinian students ready for Nat'l. Mock Trial Championship
Students from Tinian High School, champions during the CNMI-wide mock trial competition, will travel to Columbia, South Carolina this week to compete in the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
Teams from 40 states and two territories Guam and the CNMI will compete in the national championship hosted by the South Carolina Bar’s Law Related Education Division.
Contenders this year will tackle the issue involving a mother who sued Myrtle Beach amusement park after her son fell and died from riding a roller coaster in the park.
The first round of the competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 11. The final round will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 12.
More than 320 students along with 950 team coaches and observers are expected to participate in the two-day competition.
During the mock trial sessions, the students will present both the plaintiff and defense sides of the case before judges and three-person panels of jurors.
Teams are made up of three witnesses and three attorneys on each side. They each prepare opening statements, direct and cross-examinations and closing arguments.
The student teams are judged on their presentation skills rather than on the legal merits of the issue being tried.
The National High School Mock Trial Championship is targeted to promote greater understanding of and appreciation for the law, court procedures, and the American judicial system.
It is also slated to improve basic life skills, such as critical thinking, reading, speaking, and advocacy; and to heighten appreciation for the principle of equal justice for all.
This year’s competition is funded through a grant from the South Carolina Bar Foundation.
The South Carolina Bar’s LRE Division has been working to improve the ability of teachers to teach law-related education since 1976. The organization, which has a membership of more than 10,000 lawyers, is dedicated to improving the administration of and access to justice, advancing the professionalism of its members, and increasing public understanding of and respect for law and the judicial system.