In Historical Mock Trial today, we learned about President Andrew Jackson, the Georgia Cherokee, the Indian Removal Act (1830), and the Trail of Tears. That preparation allowed us to begin the process of choosing witnesses and preparing specific charges. Since the general charge is “Crimes Against Humanity,” the specificity of the charges will allow the defense to focus their defense. We will be balancing the rules of the International Court with the rules of trials in the United States.
The Prosecution is comprised of Jason, Levy, Lily, Arjun, Jenetta-Marie, and Ben.
The Defense is comprised of Olivia, Maymouna, Erika, Peyton, Anika, and Rebecca.
The teams are hard at work designing their cases and considering the approach, which will present their arguments in best light. Of course, this is all framing. The meat of the case comes from direct and cross examination. That is Monday’s work. There is great interest in the process of objecting, always a favorite in Mock Trial.
FAMOUS CASES IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
Lindbergh baby kidnapping poster, issued March 11, 1932 (public domain)
From Wikipedia: “On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. (born June 22, 1930), the 20-month-old son of colonel Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from his crib in the upper floor of the Lindberghs’ home, Highfields, in East Amwell, New Jersey, United States.[1] On May 12, the child’s corpse was discovered by a truck driver by the side of a nearby road.[2][3]
In September 1934, a German immigrant carpenter named Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime. After a trial that lasted from January 2 to February 13, 1935, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Despite his conviction, he continued to profess his innocence, but all appeals failed and he was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey State Prison on April 3, 1936.[4] Hauptmann’s guilt or lack thereof continues to be debated in the modern day. Newspaper writer H. L. Mencken called the kidnapping and trial “the biggest story since the Resurrection“.[5][6] Legal scholars have referred to the trial as one of the “trials of the century“.[7] The crime spurred the U.S. Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act (commonly referred to as the “Little Lindbergh Law”), which made transporting a kidnapping victim across state lines a federal crime.[8]“