Students lay down law
The first-degree murder trial of Haley Brunetti was held Saturday at the Regional Justice Center. Brunetti was charged with causing the death of high school senior Jackie Potomski, even though it was Brunetti's cousin, Nicky Blanc, who shot Potomski in the middle of the school's basketball court.
Blanc died of a bullet wound of his own moments later after he aimed his rifle at police officers who responded to the campus shooting.
Fortunately, these events are tragic only on paper. The case of the state of Nevada v. Brunetti was heard in several courtrooms on two floors of the Regional Justice Center.
Prosecutors, defense attorneys, the defendant and witnesses were students who attend several Clark County high schools taking part in the mock trial program.
For 12 hours local attorneys acted as judges as the students argued their way through four rounds.
At the end of the day, one of Bishop Gorman High School's two teams took home the first place prize, but it was Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School that brought home the most hardware.
The school's two teams finished fourth and second out of the 11 teams representing eight Clark County schools; one of the two teams from Advanced Technologies Academy took third place.
Faith Lutheran also had two students win the individual awards. Hayden Williams was named Best Attorney and Taylor Cloud took home Best Witness honors. Williams said her mother is a family law attorney and she intends to follow in her footsteps.
"I like the law," she said.
Bishop Gorman is the reigning state champ and is ranked fifth in the nation. The Gaels' "orange" team is coached by Clark County attorneys Christopher Lalli and Bruce Dickinson and supervised by Sarada Toomey.
Sponsored by the State Bar of Nevada and the state's school districts, the mock trial program exposes students to the legal system by giving them a "case" to prosecute and defend.
Students spend months learning the law and memorizing all facets of the case, from victim statements to police reports.
Northern Nevada high schools compete next Saturday.
The top three teams from both regions will square off for state honors March 12 and 13, with the winner going to nationals in Philadelphia May 9.
Contact Doug McMurdo
at dmcmurdo@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.
