Libby middle school students hold mock trial

Libby Middle School seventh and eight grade students held a mock trial May 30 as part of the curriculum for the Libby Educational Enrichment Program.

The goal, said teacher Renee Rose via email, was “to expose the students to the judicial system and what it takes to develop a strategy, prepare witnesses, conduct examination and cross-examination, and being able to think ‘on their feet’ with forming objections.”

The trial the students prepared was the case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian-born American anarchists accused of murdering two people during an April 15, 1920 armed robbery of shoe company in Braintree, Massachusetts.

“The result of the actual trial was that they were convicted but there is a lot of controversy still over whether they actually committed the crime or whether they were subjects of an rampant anti-immigrant wave,” Rose said. “There was no hard evidence to convict them.”

The students who served as lawyers were part of Rose’s homeroom class comprised of students who qualified for the enrichment program, while the jury was high school juniors, “many of whom participated in the mock trial when they were in seventh or eighth grade,” Rose said.

The judge was Amy Guth, who Rose said has participated as judge in her mock trials for many years.

The students were provided some in-courtroom training when on May 9 they participated in a mock trial put on by Lincoln County Courthouse staff.

“It was a firsthand experience at learning how a trial works,” Rose said. “The students involved were able to gather information and tips that they could put to use preparing for their own mock trial.”

Participating courthouse staff and their roles were: Matthew J. Cuffe as judge; Deb Kambel as court reporter; Tricia Brooks as clerk of court; Barb Benson as bailiff; Ann German as attorney for the plaintiff; Amy Guth as attorney for the defendant; Jay Forsyth as the plaintiff; Judy Sixkiller as the defendant; Kindra Hageness, Kelsi Chambers, Joe McElmurry, Officer Powell, Lucille Briggs and Jeff Zwang as witnesses.

The student jury was comprised of T.J. Andersen, Elise Erickson, Olivia Gilliam-Smith, Alyssa James, Emily Managhan, Ruby Martin, Maellen Nelson, Zane Nordwick, Maverick Owens, Katelyn Reeves, Meagan Stevens, Aspen Swartzenberger, Sally Weber.