05/19/2016

High School Students to Compete in Moot Court Competition

News Release                                                         Contact: Kate Strickland, executive director 
For Immediate Release                                          kstrickland@oclre.org; (614) 485-3501            

COLUMBUS (May 19, 2016) - The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) will host its third annual high school Moot Court Competition May 20 at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center. Students will take on the role of appellate attorneys and argue both sides of an original case.

More than 100 students representing the following schools from across the state will participate:  Danville High School (Holmes County); Gilmour Academy (Lake County); Indian Hill High School (Hamilton County); Marysville High School (Union County); Mason High School (Warren County): Perkins Local High School (Erie County); Pleasant High School (Marion County); Springfield High School (Clark County); and St. Frances DeSales High School (Franklin County).

The 2016 Moot Court case follows Sarah Stewart, a fictitious ninth grader who has just started high school and is hoping to make a name for herself by recreating a prank her older sister played on a rival high school. Inadvertently, Sarah causes more damage than intended. Sarah is questioned at her school about the prank and is later arrested and adjudicated delinquent.  In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Miranda v. Arizona decision, students explore Sarah’s right to the presence of an attorney during an interrogation. 

Teams will compete in both a legal brief-writing phase, and an oral argument phase to test their skills as appellate advocates.  After preliminary rounds in the morning, the students will compete to become the state champion in a final round, streamed live on the Ohio Channel website beginning at 4:15 pm.  

Michael J. Hendershot, Chief Deputy Solicitor for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, will preside over the final round of competition. Fellow panelists will include Pamela Vest-Boratyn, General Counsel for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General; Samuel Peterson, Deputy Solicitor for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General; Tiffany Carwile, Assistant Attorney General in the Constitutional Offices Section; and Michael P. Walton, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system. OCLRE is sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Ohio State Bar Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation.  The Moot Court program is funded by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation. For more information about the OCLRE and the Moot Court program, visit www.oclre.org