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05/06/2021

High School Students Will “Appeal” to Judges in State Moot Court Competition

High School Students Will “Appeal” to Judges in State Moot Court Competition  

         

COLUMBUS (May 6, 2021) - The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) will host its annual high school Moot Court Competition virtually on Friday, May 7. Students will take on the role of appellate attorneys and argue both sides of an original case. 

 

Students representing the following schools from across the state will participate:  Danville High School (Knox County); Indian Hill High School (Hamilton County); Lake High School (Stark County); Mason High School (Warren County); Springfield High School (Clark County); Upper Arlington High School (Franklin County); and Zanesville High School (Muskingum County). 

 

Each year, OCLRE volunteers create a new case, based on issues of constitutional law. This year students consider the circumstances in which minors can voluntarily waive their Fifth Amendment rights. In the case, 16-year-old Guile Ronaldo, a kicker for his school football team, is provoked by a player on the opposing team during a play and, in response, Guile lands one punch on the other player’s jaw. On his way home from the football game, he is picked up by police and interrogated. Guile eventually confesses to hitting the defensive end—after which the detective informs him that the player has died. Guile is found guilty of murder at trial and appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court of Buckeye. Moot Court teams will argue whether Guile’s conduct fits the crime of murder and whether Guile voluntarily waived his rights and offered a voluntary confession. 

 

Justice Jennifer Brunner of the Supreme Court of Ohio will preside over the championship round of competition. Fellow panelists include Tiffany Carwile, Esq., Arnold & Clifford; Steven Dauterman, OCLRE Trustee; Michael Hendershot, Chief Deputy Solicitor, Office of the Ohio Attorney General; and Ben Tracy, Judicial Attorney, Supreme Court of Ohio. Moot Court teams compete in legal brief-writing and oral argument rounds to persuade a simulated Supreme Court how the case should be decided.  The championship round of the competition will be broadcast on The Ohio Channel’s website on Saturday, May 15 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 16 at 9 a.m.  

 

Because of current COVID-19 restrictions and safety concerns, the 2021 Moot Court State Competition will take place via Zoom. This allows students and volunteers to remain safely in their homes, classrooms, or workspaces while still interacting in real time.  

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose mission 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, visit www.oclre.org. 

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