2015 MOCK TRIAL SUMMER SESSION STUDENT APPLICATION
Student’s Name
Grade in the fall
School you will be attending in the fall
Student Email
Parent/Guardian
Parent Email
Phone
Purpose: Your responses to these application questions will help us get to know you better, understand your
level of interest, and ultimately determine whether or not our summer session is a good fit for you.
Directions: Please respond to each question as thoroughly and thoughtfully as possible.
Part I: Personal Information
1.Why do you want to participate in the Mock Trial Summer Session?
2. What has sparked your interest or curiosity in law?
3. What questions/concerns do you have about the class?
Part II: Hypothetical (Persuasive Speech)
The exclusionary rule is a legal principle in the United States, under constitutional law, which holds that
evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the defendant's 4th, 5th, 6th Amendment rights is
inadmissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law. The exclusionary rule sees the evidence
gained in illegal action as the “fruit of the poisonous tree” and is thus inadmissible at trial under the
exclusionary rule (Wong Sun v. U.S.).
Example: A police officer illegally enters a house without a search warrant and finds marijuana on the
table. The marijuana cannot be used as evidence against the homeowner.
You will be participating in a two-person debate on the issue of the proposed legislation to abolish the
exclusionary rule in federal courts. The legislation reads as follows:
" . . . Evidence obtained as a result of a search or seizure that is otherwise admissible in a federal
criminal proceeding shall not be excluded in a proceeding in a court of the United States on the ground
that the search or seizure was in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution."
You are preparing your 2-3 minute argument for the debate. If you last name begins with the letter AM you will favor the legislation, and if you last name beings with the last letter N-Z you will argue
against the proposal.