Cadets Go to Court
“Oyez, Oyez, Oyez, I call this court to order,” Mr. Pearsons announced, opening Eisenhower's AP U.S. Government and Politics Moot Court. For multiple months, the AP Gov students have been prepping for Moot Court, researching facts and creating arguments of real Supreme Court cases they would argue at the Yakima District Courthouse downtown. This year, we argued two cases: Villarreal v. Texas and Trump v. Slaughter. These cases are real Supreme Court cases heard this year, which provide a relevant experience for the students participating.
As the students arrived at the courthouse, they waited in line to go through security, similar to what you would at the airport, but on a smaller scale. After their bags were checked, they walked through a metal detector and continued to the second floor. The students were ushered into the Yakima County District Courtroom, where they learned that higher courts are often located on higher floors of the courthouse. Magistrate Judge Alex Ekstrom, a presiding Justice at the Yakima courthouse, gave a brief 10-minute presentation on his experience in Law to start off Moot Court.
The next 2 hours were spent arguing the court cases. Both AP Gov classes had each court case, so each was argued twice. There were 2-3 attorneys arguing for the petitioner and 2-3 arguing for the respondent. They had prepared arguments with their team in advance and spoke eloquently and confidently as they presented their case to the panel of justices. The justices had prepared questions in advance regarding the constitution, past court precedent, and amicus curiae briefs. The Moot Court followed true court operations, giving students a window into a career in law and how the judicial branch of our government affects our lives as citizens of the United States.
It was a productive day in Moot Court: the Villarreal v. Texas case was voted in favor of Villarreal both times, and the Trump v. Slaughter case was voted in favor of Slaughter both times. A huge thank you to Mr. Pearsons for creating these fun and educational opportunities for his students to gain real experience, and to Attorney Nancy Livingston for helping coordinate the trip. Mr. Pearsons has done a great job encouraging his students to be politically thoughtful and involved.
