Kit & Case Materials - YMCA of Greater Seattle

HISTORICAL REVIEW OF MOCK TRIAL
1987-2012
For many years, the YMCA Youth Legislature included an appellate court component that
allowed students to write and present a legal brief before a model state Supreme Court. In
1989, in order to reach more students with a law related educational program, the Youth &
Government Board of Directors decided to phase out the appellate court, and run a separate
Mock Trial Competition, instead.
The Mock Trial program was originally a bi-centennial project that was sponsored through
the local ES districts. In 1987, Youth & Government began to co-sponsor Mock Trial as one
of its programs. The program had other sponsors and was supposed to be self sustaining
through fees and donations. Mock Trial suffered from continual funding problems and a
high rate of coordinator turn over which made fundraising difficult. In 1990 the Board voted
to bring the Mock Trial Program under the wing of the Board financially. The Board agreed
to pick up the program’s deficit and raise the money to cover it. The Seattle YMCA
graciously carried this deficit for us until we could raise the necessary funds. In 1994, after
another funding and staffing crisis with Mock Trial, the Board took full responsibility for the
program, placing the Mock Trial coordinator and the successful functioning and funding of
the program under the Board and the Executive Director.
Mock Trial teams from high schools throughout the state work with a teacher-advisor and an
attorney-coach to present a hypothetical legal case before a real judge in an actual
courtroom. The vast majority of teams come from public and private high schools around
the state, however there are occasionally other groups that form teams and become
involved. An example of this is the Seattle Parks and Recreation team who began
competing in the King County District Competition in 2006.
The case is written or selected by the Mock Trial Case Committee made up of attorneys and
judges around the state. Judge William Downing has chaired this committee for the past
several years and under his guidance the cases Washington students use in competition are
some of the most well written and socially relevant mock trial cases in the nation. Our
students are also known nationwide as effective debaters, skilled competitors, and polite
and civilized opponents. In 2000 Seattle’s Franklin High School represented Washington
State well as they took first place at the national competition. Since then, Washington
teams have repeatedly placed within the top 20 at each national championship.
In 2012 Seattle Prep came in first place in the State Competition and went on to receive 6th
place at the National Mock Trial Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Participants in the Mock Trial Program learn critical thinking and dispute resolution, practice
oral advocacy, and experience planning and preparing a team effort. They develop a feel
for the meaning of justice as they learn to sift truths from untruths and how to evaluate
both sides of an issue before making a decision. The mock trial program adds a special
dimension to citizenship education in our state, one that makes students aware of the
importance of the law and it’s far reaching impact on our lives.
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