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Washington Courts: Press Release Detail
Teens take over the justice system: YMCA Mock Trial Competition this weekend in Olympia
March 22, 2006
Hundreds of Washington state high school students will battle over a complex case of death, meth, and a question of over-zealous or on-target investigators this weekend in Olympia, as they try to be part of the last team standing in the 2006 YMCA Mock Trial State Final Competition.
The competition will pit 20 high school teams from around the state against each other in the fictitious murder trial in which a bright, college-bound student is put on trial for “controlled substances homicide” for allegedly furnishing methamphetamine to a friend who later died in a house fire. The case was written by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Lang, and edited by King County Superior Court Judge William Downing, who serves as the state Mock Trial Program Chair. The students engage in four rounds of competition, serving alternately as prosecution and defense in the mock trials, before the top two teams compete for the championship on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Washington Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens will preside over the championship round, with judges and attorneys from across the state volunteering time to preside over the 41 separate trials of the final round of competition.
The competition begins with Round 1 at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW in Olympia. Teams will be competing in courtrooms throughout the buildings. On Saturday, competition continues with Round 2 at 9 a.m., Round 3 at 1 p.m., and Round 4 at 4 p.m. The winning team will compete in the 2006 National Mock Trial Championship in Oklahoma City in May.
Teams that will compete in the statewide championships include:
Benton/Franklin Counties: Kennewick, Southridge
Clallam/Jefferson Counties: Central, Port Townsend
Clark County: Camas, Fort Vancouver, Heritage, Hudson’s Bay, Ridgefield
King County: Franklin, Seattle Academy, Seattle Prep, University Prep
Snohomish County: Archbishop Murphy, Meadowdale
Spokane County: River Academy
Whatcom County: Lynden, Sehome
The YMCA Mock Trial competition is part of the YMCA’s Youth & Government program, which for 50 years has helped students experience democracy in action. This will be the 19th annual state Mock Trial Competition, allowing students to participate in true-to-life courtroom drama before real judges in real courtrooms, gaining an understanding of the law and the role of the judiciary.
Contacts: Janelle D. Nesbit, YMCA Youth and Government Director at 360-357-3475; or Judge William Downing, Mock Trial Program Chair at 206-296-9362.
Volunteers for the 2006 YMCA Mock Trial Championships
Mock Trial Chair: Judge William Downing, King County Superior Court
Incoming Chair: Judge Robert Lewis, Clark County Superior Court
Judicial Volunteers:
- Commissioner Adam Eisenberg, Seattle Municipal Court
- Judge Beverly Grant, Pierce County Superior Court
- Judge Brett Buckley, Thurston County District Court
- Judge Bruce Weiss, Snohomish County Superior Court
- Judge Catherine Shaffer, King County Superior Court
- Judge Christine Pomeroy, Thurston County Superior Court
- Judge Christine Quinn-Brintnall, Court of Appeals Division II
- Judge Craddock Verser, Jefferson County Superior Court
- Judge Douglas Goelz, Pacific County South District
- Commissioner Eric Schmidt, Court of Appeals Division II
- Commissioner Fred Aronow, Spokane Superior Court
- Judge George Bowden, Snohomish County Superior Court
- Judge James Docter, Bremerton Municipal Court
- Judge Michael Morgan, Federal Way Municipal Court
- Judge Mike Roewe, Lewis County District Court
- Judge Mark Huth, Jefferson County District Court
- Administrative Law Judge Mattie Harvin-Wood, Office of Administrative Hearings
- Chief Hearings Officer Patricia D. Petersen, Office of Insurance Commissioner
- Judge Patricia L. Morgan, Mason County Superior Court
- Judge Richard C. Adamson, Mason County Superior Court
- Judge R.W. Buzzard, Lewis County District Court
- Judge Robert Harris, Clark County Superior Court
- Judge Ron Culpepper, Pierce County Superior Court
- Judge Steven Buzzard, Lewis County Municipal Courts
- Judge Susan Dubuisson, Thurston County District Court
- Judge Timothy Ryan, Snohomish County District Court
- Administrative Law Judge Todd Gay, Office of Administrative Hearings
- Judge Wayne Stewart, Mercer Island Municipal Court
Washington Courts Media Contacts:
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