https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/ en https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/california-high-school-students-compete-become-2025-state-mock-trial-championship-team California High School Students Compete to Become 2025 State Mock Trial Championship TeamKaren.Datangel Tue, 03/11/2025 - 16:51 Feature Update (Mar. 17, 2025): Trinity Pacific Christian School in Ventura County will once again represent the state of California as the winner of the statewide finals and will advance to the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix, Arizona from May 7-10. See results here. Thousands of students all over the state have donned their best suits and public speaking skills as they acted out various roles in the courtroom. Now it’s time to see who takes top honors.  After weeks of competition, students from 32 California counties gear up for this year's finals of the California Mock Trial Competition, which takes place in Los Angeles from March 14-16.  Participants will argue the fictitious kidnapping case People v. Gold. The defendant Logan Gold has been charged with the kidnapping of Taylor Alexander, who is a rival candidate to Gold’s spouse Harper Dorais in a city council race in the rural mountain town of Emerald Bend, California. Gold is the assistant campaign manager to their spouse and is also the sole hotel owner in town. The prosecution argues that Gold had political and financial motives for abducting Alexander. The defense argues that Gold was without a cell phone and GPS tracking the day Alexander was abducted, which was the day of the city council candidate debate. The pretrial issue centers on a defense motion to exclude a potentially incriminating statement made by Gold while in police custody.  Teach Democracy (formerly known as the Constitutional Rights Foundation) created the California Mock Trial Program in 1980. The statewide program stemmed from a successful model in Los Angeles County and helps students acquire a working knowledge of the judicial system, develop analytical abilities and communication skills, and gain an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities as participating members of our society.  In addition to the mock trials themselves, counties award individual honors to students in courtroom artist and journalist contests.  Check out some highlights from different county competitions in our interactive map below (If you are unable to view the map below, click here). If you wish for your county to be included, contact courtnews@jud.ca.gov with information, photos, and links. California high schools have placed in first or second place four times in the National Mock Trial Competition since 1984. Year School County Place 1989 John Marshall High School Los Angeles 2nd 1994 Arlington High School Riverside 1st 2005 Tamalpais High School Marin 1st 2013 La Reina High School Ventura 2nd https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/how-county-superior-court-partnered-tribal-court-create-first-joint-jurisdiction-court How a County Superior Court Partnered With a Tribal Court to Create First Joint-Jurisdiction Court in CaliforniaKaren.Datangel Wed, 12/04/2024 - 14:20 Feature A joint-jurisdiction court in El Dorado County continues to break the school-to-prison cycle for Native American youth. Using restorative justice practices to provide children and parents with achievable goals, the court helps to improve youths’ self-confidence, results in positive life choices, and gives children and families a true connection to tribal history and culture. Creation of Joint-Jurisdictional CourtThe joint-jurisdictional Family Wellness Court in El Dorado County was established in 2015 by former Presiding Judge Suzanne Kingsbury (Ret.) of the Superior Court of El Dorado County and former Chief Judge Christine Williams of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Court. Currently presided over by Judge Gary Slossberg and Chief Judge Victorio Shaw, the judges hear a wide range of cases, including juvenile, child welfare, domestic violence, and criminal. How the Joint-Jurisdictional Court WorksThe Family Wellness Court allows for justice system-involved tribal youth and their families to take part in culturally responsive and court-supervised alternative practices than usually seen in a more traditional court. These alternative practices are also known as collaborative justice or problem-solving courts, which combine judicial supervision with rehabilitation services that are rigorously monitored and focused on recovery to reduce recidivism and improve offender outcomes. By sharing information and resources and coordinating their actions on these alternative approaches, the state and tribal courts can better address the legal issues faced by tribal youth. This joint-jurisdictional model in El Dorado County was the first of its kind in California and was inspired by the Cass County and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Wellness Court in Minnesota, which was established as the first joint-jurisdiction court in the nation in 2006. Former California Chief Justice Ronald George then established California’s Tribal Court-State Court Forum in 2010, modeled after other federal/state/tribal forums around the nation. The Judicial Council then created a Tribal/State Programs unit to support the work of the forum, including expanding the use of the Wellness Court model. With the help of Jennifer Walter, who served as lead counsel to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum from 2010 to 2017, Judge Kingsbury and Judge Williams received a planning grant in 2015 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to form its own Family Wellness Court in El Dorado County. Judge Kingsbury, Judge Williams (now the Chief Judge of the Wilton Rancheria Tribal Court), and Ms. Walter (now in private practice) reflected on why they started their wellness court, the benefits it brings to their communities, and the impacts of the Family Wellness Court movement in California and nationwide. What are the benefits of a joint-jurisdiction court?Jenny Walter: The need is that you have two different jurisdictions addressing the same problem with the same family and because there’s generally a directive of resources on the tribal and county sides, it just makes sense to maximize and leverage the services. The other piece that’s really critical is when the state hears a case from tribal members, they will benefit so much from having a tribal court judge and tribal service providers in order to meet the needs of those families. If you can bring them together, you’ll change the outcomes.  The tribal judges know these families. They’re not going to get snowed by what a state court judge might get snowed by. They’re going to be able to hold folks accountable in a very different way than a state court judge can.  And then there’s these beautiful relationships that get formed with the judges and service providers when they can solve a problem they both share by coming together. What were some of the issues tribal youth were facing in schools?Judge Suzanne Kingsbury (Ret.): When kids got to the more traditional schools in the county, they very much felt like they were fish out of water. Older kids had tribal tattoos and were identified by school resource officers as being gang members or otherwise involved in criminal activity, but the tribal tattoos had significance in terms of customs and traditions of the tribe. So the kids felt marginalized and as they got older. They got foisted off to charter or continuation schools partially because of the absences and because they felt uncomfortable. We wanted to work with the school system to make sure these kids felt comfortable in mainstream schools. Judge Christine Williams: A lot of the youth were being cited for different infractions on campus and the schools are not in reservation boundaries. Sometimes the tribal court was not hearing about these issues until later in the process and we felt that [the Wellness Court] was a way to communicate and problem-solve better around these cases. Walter: At Shingle Springs and in El Dorado County, a lot of young people were becoming truant and sent to classrooms and areas where they weren’t getting their needs met, so they had no impetus or motivation to come to school. The school attendance board didn’t know what kind of accountability to have in place with the children and their parents, and there was a lot of animosity among the tribal members and families against the schools and yet everyone wanted to solve the problem.  Why is a wraparound approach important in the Family Wellness Court?Judge Kingsbury: If you take a child that’s in a dysfunctional family and you put that child in a situation where he or she learns skills and then just put them back in the same dysfunctional situation, it’s no wonder when that child doesn’t succeed. However, when you work with the whole family -- and really roll up your sleeves as opposed to just checking boxes on a reunification plan -- it reaps dividends and the families emerge stronger and better able to navigate their lives without the intervention of the court system and I think that’s ultimately the goal. What were some of the early successes of the Family Wellness Court?Judge Kingsbury: I think that our greatest successes were getting youth to the point where they could matriculate and/or graduate; developing a shared vision (at the state court and tribal court level) for the children and families involved in the joint jurisdiction courts instead of working at cross purposes; partnering with the local schools to assist them in better meeting the needs of tribal youth and their families; tackling generational truancy; and strengthening families in the tribal community. The participants were committed to change. Even if they didn’t fully complete the program, they still accomplished our goals of having them graduate from high school, getting to a point where they no longer had to be justice-involved, getting them to matriculate from one school to another, and getting them enough credits to graduate. We also developed some lasting changes within the educational system that made everyone a lot more aware of the differences that tribal students brought to the table and hopefully got them to deal with them with more sensitivity. Judge Williams: Besides better outcomes, the unexpected success was the relationship between the county justice system and the tribal justice system and how it grew. The whole county including the reservation area became a better and safer place for everyone who came into that geographic area for the joint-jurisdiction project. We were able to see better coordination with county services that overlapped with tribal services like probation and most certainly the court. Together our outcomes for native people, non-native people, tribal members, casino patrons, and everyone who came into the area were better coordinated. There were a lot of stereotypes there for both sides, so there was a lot of mistrust when we first started but a lot of that got broken down and communication just improved. We saw a change in the way everyone felt about each other and things got better, safer, and more cooperative. What did you learn from each other and others from presiding over the Family Wellness Court?Judge Kingsbury: Many of us came from a background where it wasn’t really understood how significant historical trauma is and how much it pervades every aspect of tribal people’s lives. To learn how to make trauma-informed decisions and work at peeling away the layers takes some time and it may require a timeframe that is somewhat different from the same timeframe that we have in the state court system. It was easy to deal with delinquency because those cases don’t have timeframes associated with them, however once we got into all the other cases, those cases were driven by the statutory timeframes unless the involved people were willing to waive time. We figured out novel ways to solve problems. The tribal and county social workers were very creative and came up with really solid ideas on how to navigate a particular family’s problem. We found to really trust their views and vision on what they were doing. [Me and Judge Williams’] spidey sense may have gone in a different direction. We got assurance from the social workers that participants were doing well and to give them some faith. Judge Williams: Public Law 280, which is the jurisdictional law that covers the division between the federal, state, and tribal governments in California, can be a gift if you learn how to utilize concurrent jurisdiction. That was the biggest takeaway for me, and that potentially any tribe in any county can attempt to coordinate their share of jurisdiction under Public Law 280. At the time, El Dorado County and the Shingle Springs Miwok Band of Indians had a difficult history, as most counties and most tribes do. El Dorado County is really close to the epicenter of the Gold Rush which was a devastating time for native people, yet I found all the judges on the bench in El Dorado County were really open to the concepts around the Family Wellness Court. I learned that sharing jurisdiction can be done anywhere, with the right people in place. I didn’t know what to expect from the judges in El Dorado County. There was no native representation on the bench and no one necessarily reflecting back on my community, but I found the most willing, caring, and capable partners in the county and it’s really a credit to how esteemed our bench is across the state. It’s difficult work we [judges] do and tribes are working the same way to improve their situation the way counties are. What should state and tribal entities know about starting a joint-jurisdiction court?Judge Williams: I’m going to steal from my partner in anti-crime Judge Kingsbury: You can plan forever, but at some point, you just have to start. We had a two-year planning grant that was so incredibly helpful for us and got to put together strategic plans, host meetings and talk about what we wanted to see and who would be the key players. But at some point, you just have to start hearing a case and pull in people in person. Don’t wait forever for all the circumstances to be perfect – ever. They won’t ever be perfect so your goal is to make things better incrementally and anything you can do to partner between a tribe and a county is already going to be better. It doesn’t have to be a big joint-jurisdiction project. Start by diverting a case or diverting a sentence on one case. Create a youth sentencing circle that the tribe and the county can both use. Look at the strengths you already have and start there. We were successful because we already had a working relationship. El Dorado already had several wellness courts for veterans and mental health and were not new to the concept of alternative justice. For the tribe, they already had social services, after-school programs, tutors, and cultural programming for youth, so it already made sense to pair those things and start with a Family Wellness Court.  Don’t overwhelm yourself with a model that worked for someone else. Make a model that works for you and look at your strengths and build on those rather than on a deficit, needs-based model. Have an open mind about who your partners are going to be. Don’t come in with preexisting notions with what to expect. It’s hard to do with lots of past trauma between tribes and counties. Try to acknowledge that and embrace the past, but move forward through it to trust each other and try something new.  Walter: When you’re creating a court like this, you end up with a lot of divisive and hard conversations that do take place but it’s through those conversations that you begin to build relationships and begin to see a problem not just from your own or their own lens but from a shared lens. Then that shared problem leads to a shared solution and better problem-solving.  Really take the time to develop those relationships, and bring in somebody who is on the outside to help facilitate conversations. In other parts of the country, joint-jurisdiction courts fail because they didn’t bring in a neutral facilitator to help make sure things can get addressed in the right timing so relationships can flourish and don’t walk the other way.  Focus on what your common problem is and try not to get side-tracked. Don’t be afraid to shoot for the moon – it's really about reimagining a court system. https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/how-el-dorado-and-shingle-springs-family-wellness-court-uses-alternative-methods-serve-tribal How the El Dorado and Shingle Springs Family Wellness Court Uses Alternative Methods to Serve Tribal Youth and FamiliesKaren.Datangel Tue, 11/26/2024 - 10:33 Feature The first of its kind in California, the joint-jurisdictional Family Wellness Court in El Dorado County hears a wide range of cases and uses strategies not often seen in traditional state courts to address justice-involved tribal youth in the areas of juvenile, child welfare, domestic violence, and criminal. Superior Court of El Dorado County Judge Gary Slossberg and Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Chief Judge Victorio Shaw shared their insights about the court today, how the county and tribe partner in the collaborative court, and how they've seen court participants succeed. The Family Wellness Court began as a measure to reduce truancy within tribal youth. Would you say most of the cases you deal with now have to do with truancy? What kind of cases do you deal with now? Judge Gary Slossberg: I'm currently working on one adult case and a handful of juvenile cases. I've had at most six cases at one time. Because of the nature of the case type, some of the cases have a long life. Sometimes you have a kid who has difficulties and they can be in Wellness Court for years. Like starting in middle school, they may have difficulties getting to school on time, grades, and turning in assignments, so it could be several years that a child is in the Wellness Court. Some of them do it all the way until they graduate.  The tribal court is distinctive from the state court as they have a whole host of tools available that the state court doesn’t have including relationships. You have a case and there’s lots of people who know the family of the youth as they’re actively involved in the tribe, so that brings forward certain types of tools that you wouldn’t have in a state court system.  Judge Victorio Shaw: The bulk of the cases are still related to truancy or to students just not passing their classes. But we’ve also looked into expanding to DUI cases and behavioral health. We’re working on an agreement with the county to do mental health diversion. They will potentially consider us doing a mirrored program through the tribe. That’s how we were able to expand to domestic violence cases. The county does have behavioral health diversion and that was actually recommended by Judge Slossberg’s predecessor as a program that we could mirror on the tribal side in the Family Wellness Court. We do have an MOU (memorandum of understanding) in place; we’re just waiting on approval by the county.  If there was a tribal member that was charged with domestic violence, that case could be transferred post-adjudication to the Family Wellness Court. We would essentially monitor that individual’s progress in terms of their completion of the batterer’s intervention program, but we would also offer them tribal services like a Red Road class—which is a more traditional/cultural version of Alcoholics Anonymous—counseling, and any other services that we ascertain might benefit the individual. The idea is that we are able to help the individual in a more personalized way than the county would be able to and get them services that they can obtain on the reservation without having to leave and go to the county. There’s a cultural component, familiarity, and higher comfort level when they are able to get services through the tribe.  What are some ways you’ve seen the Family Wellness Court succeed?  Judge Slossberg: You see that kids do a 180-degree turnaround. They come in at first and are dismissive of the court, and over time, you see them have more trust and faith in the system. You also see the outcomes of them attending school more, getting better grades, and seeming more hopeful for the future. It creates a very supportive environment for the youth that are in crisis.  Judge Shaw: Many students turn their academics around completely. I’ve had more than one student go from F’s to straight A’s. It wasn’t automatic, it took time and really ascertaining where the family was at. We just don’t look at the individual, we look at the whole family as often as part of the issue why a student is not succeeding. We’re really able to customize what we do for each individual. Many times, they may need a place to study after school. Maybe they need rides to school, tutoring, or counseling. We might have to drug test them because there’s evidence they’re using substances. Through treating them and the family, we’ve graduated a number of students out of the program and out of high school who were frankly not passing or on track to graduate. We’ve seen attitudes turn around. We’ve seen individuals get off of substances and get help through counseling. We’ve seen them get off drugs entirely and see their health and physical appearance improve. They glow., come out of their shell, and start talking and engaging with the community at traditional ceremonies and events. The court is an extension of their tribal family. It’s really evident that we care on a much deeper level with the amount of attention, consideration, and support.  Can you share more about the importance of joint-jurisdiction courts and tribal/state partnerships?  Judge Slossberg: The Family Wellness Court takes a different approach than the standard state family or juvenile court. The discussions in court are more open and free-flowing and take a team approach to solving the issues confronting youth.  Sometimes youth in Wellness Court have the potential to be subject to the state juvenile justice system if they’re not trying to comply with Wellness Court orders. That can bring some leverage to the case, and it might get the child to pay attention a bit more. Sometimes there are just differences in approach. The state court is more linear, like A-Z, whereas the tribal court is almost like a case management process where you have lots of different players in the room and it’s more of an open discussion. The state court's knowledge base, particularly regarding criminal, juvenile justice, and family law procedures in the surrounding county, can be drawn upon to give appropriate context to cases. With those two different ways of approaching the court system, you find a nice balance, which works well to keep the kids in check and helps give them the support they need to make some positive changes.  Judge Shaw: The tribal members see themselves as part of the community that they reside in. This includes the county and we like to be good partners. We like to be responsible for our tribal citizens and their well-being. It’s all about decreasing recidivism and breaking the cycles of trauma and substance abuse, so if this program has a greater likelihood of success , it improves the overall well-being of the tribe in general and therefore the community at large.  The tribe provides all the resources so it’s less resources the county has to expend. But if we are decreasing recidivism and breaking these cycles, then that means less cases that the county will have in the future. It also improves the level of respect between the tribe and the county when we work together on something that turns out to be a success. It shows that the tribal government and nation really cares about its people and puts time and resources into improving the lives of their citizens. It really has garnered the mutual respect in the tribe and the county in that they see what we’re willing to do to improve the lives of tribal citizens. And we see what the county is willing to do in supporting the tribe and to respect the sovereignty of the tribe, the tribal government, and the tribal court as legitimate entities that make a difference in people’s lives.  What advice/words of encouragement do you have for courts and entities that would like to begin their own joint-jurisdiction courts?  Judge Slossberg: It’s been a valuable partnership for me. With the participants in the process, you get a lot out of it. It’s increased my awareness of the inner working of the tribe and allowed me to build and foster relationships, which is helpful for me professionally and practically with other things I do as a state court judge. Sometimes issues arise that relate to the tribe and it’s nice to have that background. Also, it’s a refreshing process to be a part of. The setup of the court is different from the state court in ways that are very positive and beneficial for the youth. The outcomes are great for the kids. You see positive change in children which you know is going to make a difference in the long haul. It’s good to be in a process like that as things can be so negative in a court system. It’s great when you’re involved in it and you’re making real positive change. You definitely see it happen in these collaborative courts. Judge Shaw: Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask if there are possibilities or potential to work together, especially when it comes to tribal youth. Both sides ultimately want the same thing and that is for young people to stay on the right track, to graduate, and be high functioning and well-adjusted adults. The tribe has a lot of resources and understanding of the tribal citizens. It can be an asset to the county and even show the county there are alternative ways to approach some of these issues. Be patient. There are mutual concerns, interests, and benefits that are obtainable for both sides. If someone was to ask 30-40 years ago if this Family Wellness Court would be operating the way it is, people wouldn’t have believed it given the back history of the relationships there. But it really goes to show that whether you’re on the tribal or county side, we’re all trying to do the same thing, which is improve the lives of our community and it only makes sense to try to work together.  https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/constitution-month-2024 Constitution Month 2024Karen.Datangel Tue, 10/08/2024 - 14:35 Feature September marked the third consecutive year the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative (POD) made Constitution Day a month-long celebration in the state of California. Initially launched to keep courts connected remotely with schools during the pandemic, the tradition remains to inspire a range of activities. This September, courts received 367 requests for the school year from K-12 educators in 24 counties. This number far exceeds the number of requests for the 2023-2024 school year. "Chief Justice Guerrero asked the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative to introduce outreach to courts in smaller counties, or with no prior connection to local schools," commented Associate Justice Judith McConnell who leads the POD initiative. "I'm thrilled to see courts come forward and committing to visits to schools because they recognize how important it is. And the judges and students alike are rewarded." Monterey County had its first-ever Judges in the Classroom visit, joining San Benito, Glenn, Humboldt, and Lake Counties as the newest counties to join the Judges in the Classroom program. This year's Constitution Month celebration also included visits to two 2024 Civic Learning Award recipient schools, with one Award of Excellence school receiving a visit from Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero.  On September 6, Judge Julia Alloggiamento, the Vice Lead of the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative, was awarded the California Judges' Association Judicial Outreach Award for her dedication to bridging the gap between the judiciary and community. The award is presented to an outstanding judicial officer only every three years. Here is a look at some other outreach engagements that took place throughout the state: Santa Clara County The Santa Clara Superior Court had the highest number of Judges in the Classroom visits during Constitution Month with more than 60 visits to fifth grade classrooms, engaging 3,286 students across the county. September 17 marks Constitution Day, celebrating the signing of the document that forms the foundation of our democracy. This month members of the Court will visit 60 5th-grade classrooms, engaging 3,286 students in interactive lessons on the U.S. Constitution! pic.twitter.com/VpuPTZPKAO — Santa Clara County Superior Court (@SCSCourt) September 17, 2024 On September 24, the court presented the Civic Learning Award of Distinction to Ida Jew Academy and Valle Vista Elementary (IJAVVE). The award ceremony kicked off with Judge Evette Pennypacker delivering a lesson to fifth graders on the Constitution and the government. The lesson was followed by remarks from school principal Dr. Anthony Alvarado on the importance of civic education, remarks by faculty member Ms. Friend on school culture, and remarks by the student body president and vice president. The event also featured a presentation of IJAVVE’s student leadership initiatives, including their Weekly Morning Announcements, Buddy Classes, Lower-Grade Games, and the Ruby Bridges Day event. Orange County Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Maria Hernandez accompanied Chief Justice Guerrero and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond to present the  2024 Civic Learning Award of Excellence school visits to John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma. The event highlighted Kennedy High’s efforts to prepare students for active citizenship through voter registration drives, mock trials, soapbox speeches and debates, as well as Anaheim Union school district's role in promoting the State Seal of Civic Engagement. Watch a video from the visit to Kennedy High: Mendocino County After visiting the Mendocino County Courthouse in Ukiah, Chief Justice Guerrero and State Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) met with 15 fifth grade students in Ukiah schools to talk about the U.S. Constitution and how the three branches of government interact. “Since September is Constitution Month in California, this forum provided a perfect opportunity for the Chief Justice and Senator to answer students’ questions and hear about what they are learning," said Kim Turner, Court Executive Officer for the Mendocino Superior Court, to The Ukiah Daily Journal. El Dorado County The Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District held a special oral argument session at Union Mine High School on September 24. More than 200 students from four high schools in the county attended. Attendees heard two cases and had the opportunity to ask the justices questions at the end of the session. Justices also spoke with students about their career paths. Since 2000, the Third Appellate District has held oral argument sessions in 30 high schools and two law schools in 20 counties of its district. Monterey County From September 16-26, judges, commissioners, and temporary judges from the county visited with fifth grade students in nine local elementary schools. The judicial officers provided constitutional law presentations followed by dialogues to highlight the important rights and obligations of all American citizens. San Benito County San Benito County Presiding Judge Omar Rodriguez delivered lessons in a few local elementary school classrooms. Presiding Judge Rodriguez shared more about his positive experience volunteering with Judges in the Classroom: One parent recently told me that my story of growing up in this small town and becoming a judge here has made her kids look at their community differently and believe that they too can find opportunities here.  Learn more about Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative (POD).