Mock Trial Competes in District Tournament
Last month, members of Saint Joseph Academy's Mock Trial team competed in the statewide District Competition, held virtually.
The 2022 Mock Trial focused on the Takings Clause in the United States Constitution; it protects U.S. citizens against the seizure of their property by the government without receiving just compensation.
The simulated trial involved an owner of a family restaurant, Hollis Fitzpatrick, who struggled financially due to COVID-19 and blamed the government restrictions for the closure of his restaurant. Students had to consider whether the pandemic restrictions were so severe that taking Fitzpatrick's property required just compensation. Examples of the types of questions they examined included:
- “When exactly does a regulation go too far? ”
- "Does the government always have to compensate individuals for their property if it is heavily regulated?”
The students presented original, unscripted, simulated trials written by attorneys, and argued both sides of the case. Although the team did not advance to the Regional Competition they represented themselves proudly and the Academy professionally.
Congratulations to the following students for their hard work during this competition: Kailey Aldrich '23, Ava Anselmo '22, Jaidyn Bisheimer '25, Nica Burrell '25 (granddaughter of Christine Ziehm Burrell '68), Vedaa Chauhan '25, Anna Erdos '23, Libby Jodon '25, Samantha Johnson '23, Sarah Karl '25, Mallory Krankowski '22, Melissa Maline '24 (sister of Madeline Maline '21), Emma McConnell '23, Sam Rizk '22, Hannah Schmidt '24 (daughter of Andrea Isabella Schmidt '84) and Sadie Urso Kriska '24 and Isabella Zolikoff '22.
