Students and parents caught a glimpse of the judicial system at work during a mock trial scrimmage at Edison High School on April 9.
Members of David Schultz’s mock trial class made their case as they prepared for the annual Jefferson County Law Day on April 15, where they and other schools tested their skills before actual legal experts. The case was a simulation created by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) and focused on whether the use of AI technology in one instance could be considered parody or defamation. Students acted as plaintiffs, defendants, counsel, witnesses and timekeepers while Schultz and local attorney and class legal adviser Aaron Richardson, who also serves as president of the Edison Local School Board of Education, acted as judges.
Future mock trial class members, students in Schultz’s college American Government class and parents were invited to attend the event in the school auditorium. Schultz said it was a great way to showcase the hard work of the class not only for Law Day, but also throughout the year.
“The scrimmage is to show what mock trial is and it was another practice before Law Day,” he added. “This is the case they’ve been working on all year. There is a different case every year that deals with a Constitutional question.”
The case, which is the same scenario used on Law Day, centered on a student who, after getting into trouble and being suspended from the school dance, posted an AI or “deepfake” video online of the principal. The school leader, who was also running for a political office, was seeking a preliminary injunction to remove the video until the matter was settled. The legal question was whether it was malicious defamation—defined as the act of harming one’s reputation by spreading false information– as the plaintiff claimed, or the defense’s argument that it was a parody, which is defined as “a creative work designed to imitate, comment on and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation.”
Students presented arguments for both sides, with the plaintiff claiming the video impacted the principal’s reputation and poll ratings and the defense saying it was free speech protected under the First Amendment and posed no threat to her public standing. Students Ben Griffith and Rilee Givens were counsel for the plaintiff, who was portrayed by Jordan Hughes, while Myah Howell and Zachary Kuntz were attorneys for the defendant played by Kaylee Spencer. Expert witnesses were played by Ronaleigh Crawford and Maddison Somerville, while Jamie Baker presented the case summary and witness introductions with Avah Reed, Mazzy Speedy and Justin Goddard, Jr. Additionally, Kaylee Spencer and Kathryn Clancey acted as timekeepers.
Both sides were allotted a particular amount of time for opening statements, questioning and closing arguments and the audience learned about the purpose of direct, redirect, cross examination and re-cross, much like actual court proceedings. The judges also gave rulings to objections and other arguments within the case. Schultz said the legal teams had to be prepared with knowledge of laws behind their argument while witnesses had to memorize statements for the scenario.
“This is our first year and the kids really enjoy it,” he added. “Our teams have to compete on both sides in a real competition. It’s about being able to argue both sides of the law. I think OCLRE does a great job making strong cases and it is a class where we work in sixth period every day.”
The team previously performed well at an OCLRE High School Mock Trial District Competition in Canton this past January, where students competed against teams from Jackson, Hoover and Lake high schools and earned a split decision and four honors. Rilee Givens was recognized as outstanding attorney while Zach Kuntz, Maddison Somerville and Jordan Hughes were all named outstanding witnesses. Although they did not advance to the regional event, Schultz was impressed with their first effort against the veteran programs.
Meanwhile, Aaron Richardson was equally impressed with their efforts and said Edison’s program can only grow.
“I think the kids have done really well, considering everybody involved was learning from scratch. Our performance in Canton far exceeded what they expected. The judges were very complimentary, and a lot of that is because of Mr. Schultz. He has done a great job.”