June Reveals New Opportunities To Stretch and Grow
ARGUING BEFORE THE HONORABLE SEAN DABEL IS ADALID VARGAS BERBER (PROSECUTION) JOINED BY HIS CO COUNSEL, FRANCISCO PUIG GOMEZ. ON THE DEFENSE ARE CHLOE TRUONG AND OJAS GANDHI.
As the competitive Speech and Debate season wound down last month, many SVUDL students shifted to our annual Moot Court competition. Moot Court is a unique, educational event where high school students prepare and argue a case before a panel of real federal and state court judges who evaluate the students on the quality and persuasiveness of their presentation, as well as their unscripted responses to spontaneous questions from the bench. This year’s case, People v. Klein, is the pretrial motion of Reagan Klein, a young adult resident of the fictional town of East Flamingo, California who is charged with a felony count of making a criminal threat. The core argument of the case was whether the alleged threat was protected speech under the first amendment or constituted a ‘true threat’ under California Penal Code 422. Students have been preparing for weeks during weekly practices with their coaches and even had opportunities for lawyers to come in to help refine their speeches.
On Wednesday, June 14, SVUDL students from four different high schools converged on the Santa Clara County Courthouse for SVUDL’s first Moot Court semifinal of the year! For this event, the students participating were Adrian Ly and Kashvi Jain from Silver Creek; Julian Christensen and Cristel de la Cruz from Summit Everest; Michelle Tiburcio, Andres Gonzalez, Stephany Urbina-Diaz, and Jocelyn Guzman from Eastside; and Frank Shau and Juan Moreno from Independence. These ten students had the opportunity to go through their pretrial motions completely and argue for either prosecution or defense in front of actual judges at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. SVUDL was gracious to have Judge Garcia-Sen, Judge Pennypacker, Judge Alloggiamento, and Judge Williams dedicate their time and efforts to listen and cross-examine the competing students.
FROM LEFT: KASHVI JAIN, ADRIAN LY AND JUDGE CHRISTINE GARCIA-SEN
The students' hard work and commitment were recognized. SVUDL’s Executive Director, Rolland Janairo, observed competitors Stefany and Jocelyn and noted that they were “poised” and had a “professional demeanor throughout” their oral arguments. Jocelyn in particular was acknowledged for her flowing throughout the round. The impact of that can be seen immediately reflected in the concise structure of her rebuttal. Rolland noted that students were nervous at the start of their speeches, but “had clearly prepared and settled in nicely as time went on.” Judge Alloggiamento mentioned that it “was wonderful seeing the students perform” and emphasized her appreciation that the league is able to “teach [students] how to use their voice, not just for these competitions but in life!”
On Wednesday, June 21st, SVUDL students had another opportunity to practice their skills and refine their speeches, as they visited the San Mateo County Courthouse the following week for a second round of semifinals. Students competing in this round included: Adalid Vargas Berber and Francisco Puig Gomez from Eastside College Preparatory Academy (East Palo Alto); Chloe Truong, Ojas Gandhi, Juan Moreno, and Jimena Resendiz-Carrillo from Independence High School (San Jose); and Julian Christensen and Cristel de la Cruz Bonilla from Summit Everest High School (Redwood City). Competitors stood in front of Judge Dadel, Judge Chou, and Commissioner Padilla while being cross-examined with complex questions. This was not an easy feat. Judge Renee Reyna, who observed rounds, was impressed by the students that she witnessed. She thought they performed well above their age level and demonstrated their knowledge exceptionally. She reflected that the “students should be proud of themselves. It can be nerve-wracking for licensed attorneys to make an argument in court, so to see the students I saw be so poised was impressive.” Attorney Tanya O'Malley says that It was great to see the kids show off their hard work. They really knew their stuff and were prepared for all of the questions sent their way!”
Thank you again to all of the lawyers and the judges of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County and Superior Court of San Mateo County for their support of our students!
