“Counselor, you didn’t answer my question.”
“Do you think society is comfortable with that behavior?”
“Is this covered under the Fourth Amendment?”
The speakers were real judges but the attorneys were teenage students from Milam County’s five school districts last week as the Milam County Courthouse hosted the county’s first-ever Moot Court competition.
If it seemed like the judges were tough on the kids that’s because they were. But there were excellent reasons.
The judges were challenging the young advocates to think on their feet and to argue points of law, not emotion or for show.
And it worked. By moot court’s end late last Wednesday its organizer, County Judge Steve Young, was praising the event as a huge success with many glowing compliments received.
Eighteen teams from Rockdale, Milano, Thorn-dale, Cameron and Buckholts schools participated.
Rockdale’s Maddy Moody and Devin Whitsel won the competition and took home $1,125 in scholarships.
Runners-up were Kenneth Shelton and Elizabeth Trdy of Buckholts. They won $725.
COUNTYWIDE—“This was truly a countywide event,” Young said. Moot court drew much of the county’s legal apparatus as volunteer assistants.
“It seemed like half of the county was in the courthouse making this event so smooth and rewarding,” he added.
A moot court is a simulated trial or legal action. Moot means “subject to debate, dispute or uncertainly.”
Just because it’s not for-real didn’t mean the students got lobbed softballs.
The moot court case, which worked its way through several stages of the legal process, involved drugs found during a vehicle search and in a home.
It raised serious and complex points of law including search and seizure, right to privacy and the application of the Fourth Amendment—“the right of the people to be secure...”
Key points were also the rights of law enforcement personnel to conduct their business.
And everything was up for argument, within the strict guidelines which make up the judicial system.
By competition’s end the organizers were praising not only the young “attorneys” but also their coaches and tutors.
“Remember, they all had to start from scratch,” Judge Young said.
FROM THE BENCH—
Judges were Young, District Judge John Young-blood, Rockdale Municipal Court Judge Jerry Waggoner, Prosecutor Bill Torrey.
Also, Justices of the Peace Andy Isaacs, Greg Hoelscher, Gary Northcott.
Also, Benton Watson, Hollis Lewis, Brian Price, Kyle Nuttall, Jenny Gebhart, Craig Brown, James Walker, Sharon Diaz and Matthew Wright.
Attorneys who helped tutor the students included Benton Watson, Hollis Lewis, Brian Price, Kyle Nuttall, Jenny Gebhart, Craig Brown and James Walker.
Young said support staff included Melanie Reed, Ginger Watkins, Michelle Morgan and Jodi Morgan who ran the courtroom, scheduled and guarded the doors; scorekeeper Curtis Chubb; Sheriff Chris White and his staff provided bailiff duties.
Yes, the bailiffs were real (and armed).
Young expressed appreciation to all those listed above along with the Rock-dale and Cameron Lions Clubs, who helped sponsor the scholarships; Brett Everhart of KMIL and KRXT for live coverage and to Mike Brown of The Rock-dale Reporter and Lindsey Vaculin of The Cameron Herald for newspaper coverage.
“To showcase how good all the competition was, at the end of the first day’s scoring there was only about 100 points between the winning team and the eighth-place team,” Young said.
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