Cardinal Carter students excel in mock trial setting

The Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN) recently resumed their mock trials for students across the province after not being able to hold them since 2019.

While the Leamington District Secondary School team had won the three previous mock trial tournaments prior to the COVID break, it was cross-town rivals from Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School who excelled in this year’s competition.

The tournament, held at Windsor’s Superior Court of Justice, featured CCSS, Ursuline College from Chatham and St. Anne Catholic High School in Windsor.

Ursuline took top honours once the dust settled, with Cardinal Carter judged the runner-up.

Teacher Allison Kauric acted as the Cardinal Carter team’s coach for the event.

Local high school teacher Butch Rickeard is the OJEN vice-chair for the Southwest Region, along with Justice Paul Howard, the chair. Both were on hand for the proceedings.

Rickeard was happy with how the students responded to the case.

“It gives them an understanding of how it works,” he said. “It’s something they just can’t replicate in a classroom.”

The trial was a second-degree murder trial dealing with a neighbour dispute where the defendant claimed self-defence.

The trial not only featured the high school students, but volunteer lawyers from the Essex County Law Association and students from the University of Windsor. Real judges preside over the case.

Students took turns on the witness stand as friends and neighbours of the deceased and even as the defendant — as well as lawyers for the prosecution and also the defence team.

A team of evaluators observed the court proceedings and determined scores for the student teams.

One CCSS student stood out above many as Richard Hemings was named the best lawyer advocate in the tournament.