Vista Courthouse Field Trip
During this field trip, we went to the Vista Courthouse. We went here in order to learn more about the structure of a court case, and to even have the chance of re enacting one. When we went, we saw a real courtroom and also saw real life security guards. During the re enactment of the case, it was very interesting to witness the cross examination. It also gave us the chance to see what our real trial is going to be like. I learned that during courthouse procedures, each side gets a chance to question the witness. When it is a witness that you are using to help your own side, that is called a Direct Examination. You usually practice Direct Examinations before going to trial because that way the lawyer knows what to ask you and you know what to say back. When an opposing side questions you, it is called a Cross Examination. These are on the spot and can be stressful for the witness. When viewing the Mock Trial, I started to understand how important the opening statement was to winning your case. The opening statement is where you get all of what you want to say out, and it really kicks off your argument. This field trip will influence my participation in the trial by making me really work on the questions for the cross examination. If I can tear down a witness, I will feel successful. In order to do this, I need to spend a lot of time on these questions. I used to think that trials were all a surprise when the witnesses came up to the stand. Then I saw that each witness is known by both sides so they can plan accordingly. Now I see that in terms of witnesses, there are no
surprised.
surprised.