Tyler Cornia wanted to give his Business Law students an authentic lesson in how the justice system works. So, he decided to turn a large classroom into a courtroom and conduct a mock trial. The students were given the summary of a criminal case, which was based on an actual murder trial. Students were divided into prosecution and defense teams, and the jury. They worked with real attorneys to prepare their cases and present arguments before the jury, and a real judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead presided over the trial. In the end, the jury delivered a not guilty verdict in the mock trial and the defense team won.
It was a hands-on lesson in how real criminal trials are run and what goes into preparing and arguing a case in the courtroom. Thanks to Mr. Cornia for giving students a valuable, memorable, real-world experience in the classroom.