Youth Law Fair Engages Students on Food Insecurity Issue
March 23, 2021
On March 20 multiple high schools in the District sent some of their brightest future lawyers to participate in the 22nd annual Melvin R. Wright Youth Law Fair, sponsored by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and D.C. Bar Communities. Though the event took place virtually, participants enjoyed a jam-packed morning with speakers, informational videos, and the popular mock trial.
During her opening remarks, D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring presented this year’s theme, The Politics of Food: Food Scarcity as an Issue of Justice. “It’s hard for some of us to imagine in 2021 that there is an issue with hunger in one of the wealthiest states in the world, but that is a real issue in the United States,” Chief Judge Josey-Herring said.
Volunteer judges and attorneys were also present and guided students through the mock trial. Superior Court Associate Judge Steven Wellner presided over the proceedings, which focused on a brother desperately trying to care for his little sister and being charged with theft of a deli sandwich. Students played the role of defendants and prosecutors, asking some heavy-hitting questions to get to the bottom of what happened. Despite a very short window to learn the fact pattern and work with one another, students dominated the courtroom. Judge Wellner held that the defendant was not guilty.
Magistrate Judge Noel Johnson led the closing session where students and volunteers were given an opportunity to discuss the trial outcome. One student pointed out the hardship of being the prosecutor on a case like this, noting that while the law was on her side, the evidence was not, and the prosecution lost the case. Judge Johnson used the students’ understanding to shed light on the idea that a loss for the prosecution can oftentimes be seen as a win, as the prosecution’s goal is to seek justice.
Participants also had an opportunity to ask volunteer lawyers questions about their career in law. Erin Felix, an attorney at Polsinelli PC, spoke on what made her want to be an attorney, although it wasn’t her original career choice. She had majored in math and found herself working at a company that specialized in government contracts. “It wasn’t until I started doing that that I realized there was this really interesting set of rules and terms and conditions . . . and I decided to go to law school to better understand those things,” Felix said.
As the fair continued, students heard a brief presentation from the Capital Area Food Bank about what food scarcity looks like and how it impacts members of the community. Maureen Doyle, manager of partnership engagement at the food bank, presented a hunger simulation with her colleague Megan Curran. The session was interactive and allowed participants to test their own understanding of food insecurity.
D.C. Superior Court Senior Judge Melvin R. Wright, after whom the annual youth law fair is named, provided a brief statement to students about the importance of the program and how it came it to be. Judge Wright said that more often than not, young people who appear in court due to the loss of their homes or as a result of their parents being sued end up with a negative connotation of courts and the justice system.
“We designed this program to talk about how the court system works and to invite young people to look at a career in many facets of the court system,” he said, adding that young people are needed in the fight for change in the justice system. “The only way that we can effect change is to understand how the system works and how to make the change.”
