The goal of the Judicial Program is to expose Missouri youth to the formal judicial process through pre-trial analysis, discovery, brief writing, and the presentation of a trial to a court of youth judges. The program promotes leadership through the election of an Attorney General, appointment of judges, a Chief Justice, and the use of youth mentors. The Judicial Program also promotes collaboration and compromise through the use of teams of attorneys and teams of judges working together to accomplish their goals.
The structure of the YIG Judicial Program is modeled after the Missouri Judiciary and Courts System. Primarily, the process suggests the trial system of Circuit and Associate Circuit Courts that exists in all counties in Missouri. We use this analogy of Circuit and Associate Circuit Courts because the Circuit Courts generally handle matters that are longer to resolve, larger in scope and potential outcome, and more complicated in nature. The Associate Circuit Courts are generally quicker to reach trial and usually involve less complicated matters or have a smaller potential outcome.
The Circuit Court trials are commenced at the beginning of the school year with a factual situation being developed into a trial by opposing teams of two student attorneys and two witnesses per side. The trial teams must be chosen from a single delegation. Training is undertaken at the Primary Convention. Training is aimed at developing a very basic understanding of the requirements of the Judicial Program.
The Associate Circuit Court trials are better known as the Moot Trial Competition. Student Lawyers are assigned a partner and witnesses on the first day of the State Convention and are to be prepared to try their case beginning less than 24 hours later. There is no specialized training for Associate Circuit Court trials other than the experience gained from trying a case at the Circuit Court level.
Students fill all of the significant roles of the program: Judges, Attorneys, and Witnesses.
Attorneys
All students act as Attorneys at the Circuit Court level. This includes students that are appointed Judges and fulfill other roles in the Judicial Program. The Attorney General may elect to serve as an Attorney at the Circuit Court level, but is discouraged from doing so as the task of Attorney may affect his/her ability to fulfill the requirements of this elected position.
Every first time participant in the Judicial Program is a Novice Attorney. Individuals who come to the Judicial Program from another branch of the YIG Program will be a Novice Attorney unless they seek and receive special recognition from both their delegation advisor and a Judicial Program Coordinator. Novice Attorneys must participate in the Circuit Court Trials as attorneys. In addition to being attorneys, Novice Attorneys will be witnesses for Associate Circuit trials. Some Novices may elect to be attorneys at the Associate Circuit level for the Moot Trial Competition. Those who are not successful in their Associate Circuit trials may choose to be associate attorneys for more experienced trial teams.
Experienced Attorneys, known simply as Attorneys, participate in all aspects of the Judicial Program. Experienced Attorneys fulfill the additional roles of Judges and witnesses in trials at both the Circuit and Associate Circuit levels. All Experienced Attorneys are expected to act as attorneys in the Associate Circuit Court Trials. Experienced Attorneys may be selected to act as witnesses in the Associate Circuit Court Trials when there are insufficient Novice Attorneys available to fill all of the roles.
Novice and Experienced Attorneys may participate as associate judges at any Circuit Court or Associate Court Trial where they are not a trial attorney or witness (except semi-finals and finals).
Judiciary
Any Experienced Attorney is permitted to make application to be selected as a Judge of the Missouri Supreme Court. These Judges are appointed by the Program Coordinators based upon class, experience, awards, and prior performance in the program. The office of Judge is recognized by the robe they wear. Applications for Judge must be made in advance. If there are insufficient applications for Judge from Experienced Attorneys, Novice Attorneys may be selected for the role of Judge.
Judges preside at all trials, both Circuit Court and Associate Circuit Court. Judges also preside at all Judicial Program functions and meetings.
Judges are required to participate as a trial attorney in a Circuit Court trial with their trial team. Judges are required to be either a judge or a trial attorney in the Associate Circuit Court trials. Teams of two or three judges also hear every Circuit Court trial and prepare a written opinion resolving the issues and determining the outcome of the case as it was presented to them.
Judges are the primary mentors of the program. They assist the Novice and Experienced Attorneys in preparation of their cases. They work with the Program Coordinators and volunteers in making sure the scheduling is complete.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the presiding officer of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is a junior when selected at the close of the State Convention from all of the judges and serves during the following year. The Chief Justice is a member of the State Committee for that year.
Witnesses
Student Attorneys, both Novice and Experienced, must secure their own witnesses for their Circuit Court trial. Each team will be required to secure two witnesses to provide testimony for the trial of their case. Novice Attorneys will be allowed to act as witnesses in the Associate Circuit Court trials. All witnesses, at both the Circuit and Associate Circuit trials, will be given a witness statement, affidavit, or deposition from which they must craft their testimony. No other witnesses are recruited.
There is no limitation on who may be a witness. Parents, teachers, friends, siblings and other attorneys (student and others) may be used as witnesses. The only limitation is their availability at the trial of the case at the State Convention.