By Quincy Chinen, Justin Ocampo, and Reica Ramirez Students in Mount Carmel School’s Introduction to Media Communications
The hearing was attended by students from the AP United States Government, AP United States History, and AP English courses as well as by members of the school’s Mock Trial team.
The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice Alexander Castro and Associate Justices John A.Manglona and Perry B. Inos. The students watched as defense counsel with the CNMI Office of the Public Defender Nancy A. Dominski and Prosecutor with the Attorney General’s office Robert Charles Lee argued their case before the justices on the merits of the law.
Kyle Bautista, a veteran member of the MCS mock trial team, noted that the hearing was substantially different from his experience in mock trial, “The attorneys are not asking questions, instead they argued to the judge. I would say I learned a lot from this experience because the attorneys both presented well thought out arguments based on different perspectives on the law.”
Fellow veteran member Angelo Manese had this to say about the experience, “As a mock trial attorney myself, I find it comforting to know that even experienced lawyers still find challenges when formulating and presenting well structured arguments.”
The hearing was part of the NMI judiciary’s “Justices and Judges in the Classroom” interactive outreach program de-signed to educate our youth on the judicial system and its functions. The program serves to help encourage students understand the role of the court system and the concepts of justice and responsibility.
If you are interested in the court’s outreach program or seek further information, please contact Divana Delacruz at divana.delacruz@justice.gov.mp.
