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Preparing a jury of peers

By Derek Kirk
Posted 5/9/23

MONTICELLO – In celebration of ‘Law Day’ 67 students and 9 chaperones from schools all across Sullivan County got in-person experience sitting in the juror’s box early Monday …

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Preparing a jury of peers

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MONTICELLO – In celebration of ‘Law Day’ 67 students and 9 chaperones from schools all across Sullivan County got in-person experience sitting in the juror’s box early Monday morning, May 1, with local judges and prosecutors leading the mock trial.

The young jury of peers were given the chance to see the courtroom in action through an annual event put on by the American Bar Association, which has allowed young people a similar experience for the past 12 years. Senior and Junior class students from seven of the county’s public schools, as well as students from Sullivan County BOCES, were in attendance as a part of their various government and economic course studies, as well as public safety services classes. 

A number of local judges and prosecutors acted in the places of a courtroom setting, complete with County Court Judge Jim Farrell presiding. 

The mock trial’s defendant and defense attorney were portrayed by Family Court Judge Secretary, Spencer Strack, and Sullivan Court Judge, Hon. Danielle Jose-Decker, respectively. The plaintiff and plaintiff’s attorney were portrayed by Assistant District Attorney, Danielle Blackaby, and New York State Supreme Court Justice, Meagan Galligan, respectively.

Sullivan County Family Court Judge Jacqueline Ricciani said that allowing students to get a view of the inside of a courtroom is a great experience for them, as for when they are called to sit on a jury for a real trial one day, they will have this experience to rely on. 

The mock trial that the students weighed in on, titled Jayden Thompson v. Jaime Sullivan, offered realistic situations similar to a civil trial.

“It was a great opportunity for the students and to see how this is one of their civic duties they get to exercise,” Sullivan County Commissioner of Jurors Deanna Armbrust-Cruz said. 

“They can be better prepared for the future, and knowledgeable about the justice system, and why this system works in the United States.”

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