MONTICELLO- In 1961 Congress designated May 1st as the official date for celebrating Law Day. In recognition of law day, 15 years ago the Sullivan County Bar Association started a program where high school students get to be jurors during a mock civil trial.
Family Court Judge, Jacqueline Ricciani says students get to see what happens in a courtroom. “They come in and are given a jury summons, then they each get a little card with their name on it. Their names are drawn from a lottery-type wheel to become a juror.”
During Wednesday’s mock trial, the Hon. Danielle Jose-Decker, the county’s Surrogate and Family Court Judge served as the judge and a Ryan Walker, a local attorney, played the role of defense lawyer. He represented a mock client, played by fellow attorney Andrew Lessig.
The plaintiff’s attorney was played by State Supreme Court Judge Megan Galligan, the former Sullivan County District Attorney. She represented Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney Danielle Blackaby. Judge Ricciani says the event was set up like a real civil trial to provide the students with a real-life experience.
“The plaintiff testifies by direct examination and cross-examination,” said Ricciani. “The defendant testifies with direct examination and cross-examination and there are closing statements.”
Ricciani says that remembering Law Day is important because it makes students more civically minded. “If they get called for jury service in the future it’s not going to be scary. They’ll know what to expect,” she said.
