IPA Policy Specialist Supports Delaware Students at Mock Trial

On Feb. 25, 2023, Fran O’Malley, director of the Delaware Center for Civics Education, supported students at the 32nd Annual Delaware High School Mock Trial competition in Wilmington, Delaware. Fran founded the mock trial competition in 1991 and ran it for many years before helping to establish the Delaware Law Related Education Center, Inc. (DELREC), to institutionalize the event and turn it over to members of the Delaware Bar Association (DBA) and Courts. This year students from 18 high schools around the state participated in the competition. At the event, Fran assisted in the scoring room, helping to tabulate scoring results for a quick turnaround time on each trial before transitioning to the next round of competition. Members of the DBA and Courts presided over the mock trials and judged performances. During the mock trials, students acted out a court case and debated at the highest level in courtrooms at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center.

This year, the mock trial participants included 217 students, 52 coaches, and 118 Delaware Bench and Bar members, who all served as presiding or scoring judges. Every year, this simulated setting helps to provide students with an enriching and educational exercise that provides high school students with valuable learning experiences in law, public speaking, and critical thinking.

Fran is a member of DELREC’s Board of Trustees. Next year Delaware will be hosting the national competition in Wilmington. The Delaware Center for Civics Education is a program of the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.​

Article by Sophonie Milord. Originally posted in UDaily's For the Record​.​