Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 12

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2017 MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION
- By Breandan Nemec -

T

he Young Lawyers Division
of the Bucks County Bar
Association recently sponsored
Bucks County's District level for
Pennsylvania's annual Mock Trial
Competition. The Commonwealth's
competition is one of the largest
in the nation - this year 294 teams
competed, comprised of students
from 252 high school and middle
schools. Locally, Bucks County entered
17 schools at the district level.

to argue evidentiary issues such as
the admissibility of prior bad acts
(including arson), and the admissibility of other evidence including
web browser search history and text
messages sent by the Defendant.

F

ollowing the initial rounds of
the competition, seven teams
moved on to the playoff rounds,
culminating in our four district
semi-finalists: Bensalem, Central Bucks
South (the 2016 defending champs),
Council Rock South and Central
Bucks East. After two hard-fought
semi-finals, the championship round
pitted Bensalem versus Central
Bucks South. The Honorable John J.
Rufe presided over the final trial in which Bensalem High
School emerged as the victor. For the second straight year,
our district winner then went on to further success at the
regional level and beyond. Bensalem defeated teams at the
regional level from Chester and Delaware Counties, and
proceeded to represent our region at the state competition,
which took place in the Dauphin County Courthouse in
Harrisburg. Following a round 1 victory, Bensalem eventually

The school teams took
turns trying the case as
the Commonwealth and
alternately, the defense.

This year, the writers created a
hypothetical centered around the
criminal prosecution of Taylor Edsel,
an employee of Nash Electromotive,
Inc., a vehicle manufacturer. A
criminal complaint was filed against Edsel alleging arson
in the first degree, in violation of 18 Pa.C.S. §3301(a)(1)
(ii), after Edsel was found at the Nash plant immediately
following a fire which reduced the plant and the company's
revolutionary new car, which was about to hit the market,
to ashes. The school teams, comprised of six students for
each trial, took turns trying the case as the Commonwealth
and alternately, the defense. The student-attorneys had

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bucks Writs - Spring 2017

Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 1
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 2
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 3
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 4
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 5
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Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 12
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Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 27
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Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 30
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 31
Bucks Writs - Spring 2017 - 32
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https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/BucksWritsSpring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2017
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