News Item
MN Judges Preside at National Mock Trials
Posted: Monday, May 6, 2002
The judges have volunteered to participate in the National High School Mock Trial Championship in St. Paul May 9-12. This is the first time in the tournament’s 19-year history that it has come to Minnesota.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome the national mock trial competition to Minnesota,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul H. Anderson, who will greet participants at a May 9 reception at the Minnesota Science Museum. “Mock trial competition is a valuable learning experience for all students, regardless of their future aspirations. The organizational, public speaking and advocacy skills they learn through this experience prepare them to be active citizens and effective leaders.”
More than 1,000 students, parents, friends, judges and coaches will represent the United States, Guam and the Mariana Islands. Minneapolis South High School will represent Minnesota in the competition.
Participants in the championship tournament, called “Superior Justice in Minnesota,” will argue a mock case about the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. According to the case summary, the plaintiff, Gale Storm, filed a complaint against the shipping company for acting in a negligent manner that contributed to the shipwreck and the death of Gale Storm’s son.
Each team will participate in a minimum of four rounds of trials. Team rankings will be determined by points earned and rounds won. A final round will then be held between the top two teams to determine first- and second-place winners.
“By the time these students have spent one season on a mock trial team, they probably know more about our legal system than the majority of Americans,” said Lisa Wilde, Director of Public Education for the Minnesota State Bar Association and Host Director for the event. “The students who make it to the nationals are the best and the brightest, so we’ll be seeing some very sharp minds at work. It’s great that Minnesota’s judges and lawyers have been so willing to welcome the teams and to make sure that the competition will be top notch.”
The National High School Mock Trial Championship was designed to help students understand and appreciate the American legal process. The program gives participants an insider’s perspective of the court system and how it resolves disputes. Iowa held the first national competition in 1984. The Minnesota State Bar Association is sponsoring this week’s event.
For more information about the event, visit http://www2.mnbar.org/mocktrial/index.htm.
Participating Judges, County/Court
- Justice Paul Anderson, Supreme Court
- Judge Robert Birnbaum, Olmsted District Court
- Judge Louise Dovre Bjorkman, Ramsey District Court
- Judge Timothy Bloomquist, Kanabec District Court
- Judge Terrence Conkel, McLeod District Court
- Judge James Dehn, Isanti District Court
- Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks, Court of Appeals
- Judge Lawrence Johnson, Anoka District Court
- Judge Mary Louise Klas, Retired
- Judge Dale Lindman, Ramsey District Court
- Judge Warren Litynski, Nicollet District Court
- Judge John McShane, Hennepin District Court
- Judge Dale Mossey, Wright District Court
- Judge Alan Pendleton, Sherburne District Court
- Judge John Rodenberg, Brown District Court
- Judge Salvador Rosas, Ramsey District Court
- Judge Kathleen Sanberg, MN Tax Court
- Judge Norbert Smith, Blue Earth District Court
- Judge Jon Stafsholt, Pope District Court
- Judge Heather Sweetland, St. Louis District Court
- Chief Judge Edward Toussaint, Jr., Court of Appeals
- Judge John Van de North, Ramsey District Court
- Judge Robert Walker, Martin District Court