High school students at the D.C. Superior Court on Saturday got to see the court system in a different, more positive way during the 25th annual Youth Law Fair.
By participating as jurors, witnesses, attorneys, defendants and even the judge in mock trials, the students could see what it is actually like inside a court proceeding. More than 150 students were expected at the courthouse for the event.
This year’s theme was “The Ride You Can’t Afford to Take,” and the cases participants tried dealt with pretend carjackings, due to the crime’s prevalence in the area.
Two teenagers who participated, 14-year-old Evie Xie and 16-year-old Chloe Lin, said it was fun but scary.
“I think it was really nerve-wracking, but it turned out to be pretty fun to do,” Xie said. “One of our friend’s parents was one of the volunteer lawyers here. So, she introduced us to it.”
Lin added that the mock trials were “a lot of fun to try.”
“Basically, we had to think of arguments to prove that they didn’t commit any of the crimes.”
Charles Lowery, president of the D.C. Bar, said he admires the courage of the students who participated.
“They sacrifice a Saturday to come in and they learn so much about the judicial system,” Lowery told WTOP. “It gives us hope, you know, a sense of feeling that our young people can do whatever they want, and they can be here and do that.”
Lowery added that he thinks the students offer a valuable perspective to the justice system.
“I just think that young people are much more sophisticated, and they’ve been exposed to more,” he said. “And they’re media savvy — they’re able to see things with their phones and they’re just able to do things in a different way.”
Judge Kenia Seoane López told WTOP on Friday that the law fair’s aim is to help familiarize youth with the court system.
“The goal is to expose them not just to the lawyers and the judges, but also the whole system as it works,” said Seoane López.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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