Hundreds of eighth-grade students acted out a court case Friday morning at the Sandra Day O’Connor United States Courthouse as part of a youth outreach program organized by ASU.

Students from the Murphy School District, Tempe Elementary School District, Roosevelt School District and the ASU University Public School filled the downtown Phoenix courthouse for “Court Works,” conducting mock trials and learning about different careers in law.

About 30 legal professionals volunteered to oversee the students’ trials. U.S. Probation Officer Leigh Anne Gibbons said the students were eager to get into character.

“The kids took it seriously,” Gibbons said. “The courtroom deputy even dressed the part with a hat and badge.”

The mock trials also allowed students to see a more realistic side of courtroom drama.

“They can see things more accurately here than on television,” she said.
U.S. Probation Officer Kelly Heitkam said some of the students’ misconceptions went beyond the courtroom process.

“One of the kids asked if you had to go to Harvard to be a lawyer,” she said.

David Jackson, a first-year law student who helped organize Court Works, said one goal of the program is to show students the accessibility of a legal education.

“We want to make sure students are exposed to what education can do for them,” Jackson said.

Many of the schools attending Court Works are in low-income areas, he said, where students may not have the chance to explore their college options.

“All students deserve that exposure, regardless of their background,” Jackson said.

The trial the students worked on taught them about the Fourth Amendment, he said.

In the case, a student’s bag was seized by her vice principal on suspicion of drug possession.

Judge Mary H. Murguia said Court Works provides students with a vital new perspective on their rights and the Constitution.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for the district courts to expose young people in our community to the Constitution,” she said. “They can see how it affects them in real life.”

After completing their mock trials, students gathered for a “Grand Jury,” where they learned about different legal professions.

Students heard from representatives of the Pretrial Services Office, the Probation Office and the U.S. Marshall’s Office, which brought in a bomb dog and even demonstrated how prisoners are chained in the courtroom by practicing on several students.

Becka Mondesir, an eighth- grader from McKemy Middle School in Tempe, said the program gave her more information about her future career.
“I want to be a lawyer, so I got to learn about the court process and how to convince a jury of your argument,” she said.

Her teacher, Dylan Read, said the program was a good complement to the material he teaches in his social studies classes.

“In the eighth grade, we teach quite a bit of the Constitution,” he said. “It’s so important for young people to learn about and know and love their very important Fourth Amendment rights.”

Reach the reporter at jessica.testa@asu.edu.