Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Personal property rights vs. neighborhood rights: Teens battle for state Mock Trial championship this weekend in Olympia

Hundreds of Washington state high school students will compete this weekend as attorneys, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants in a fictitious civil lawsuit over private property rights versus a neighborhood’s right to restrict uses of a property.

The YMCA Mock Trial State Championship Competition will pit 24 high school teams from around the state against each other March 22-24 at the Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia. The team that wins the championship will compete in the 2019 YMCA National Mock Trial Championship in Athens, Georgia, scheduled for May 16 – 18. Washington’s 2018 champion, Franklin High School from King County, won the national championship.

The fictional case involves homeowners who turn their property into a small cattle ranch in opposition to the small neighborhood’s covenants. Student teams engage in four rounds of competition, serving alternately as the plaintiff team or the defense team in the mock trials. Judges and attorneys from across the state volunteer throughout the weekend to preside over the trials and rate the teams. The top two teams compete for the championship on Sunday.

The competition begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW in Olympia, with teams competing in courtrooms throughout the courthouse buildings. On Saturday, competition continues with rounds beginning at 8:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu will preside over the championship trial Sunday at 11:30 a.m., which will be televised by TVW. Justice Yu will also speak at the breakfast for all teams just prior to the final round.

Teams competing in the state Mock Trial championship competition include:

Mock Trial is part of the YMCA Youth & Government Program, which works to help young people experience democracy in action through both its Mock Trial and Youth Legislature programs. The Youth & Government program is in its 72^nd year of youth civic education programing.

Also supporting the event are the Administrative Office of the Courts, TVW, the Washington Judges Foundation, the Pierce County Minority Bar Association, the Honorable Robert J. Bryan American Inn of Court, and the District and Municipal Court Judges’ Association.

Mock Trial allows students to participate in a true-to-life courtroom drama. High school teams of attorneys and witnesses prepare the case for trial and compete at district levels before real judges in actual courtrooms. “Juries" of attorneys rate the teams on their arguments and presentation, while presiding judges rule on motions, objections and ultimately the merits. Participants develop critical thinking and analytical skills, learn the art of oral advocacy, and gain understanding of law and the judiciary.

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CONTACT: Brent Gaither, YMCA Youth & Government Executive Director, (360) 357-3475; or Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Lewis, Mock Trial State Program Chairman, (360) 397-2226.