By Jake Yanoff 

The Legal Studies course that is offered to seniors at Westborough High School provides students with an understanding of the legal system of the United States.  It is a semester long course, offered only in semester one, which focuses on the study of the law, as well as courtroom procedure.  The class is taught by Mr. Belbin as well as Ms. Powers.

The first quarter is dedicated to the understanding of the United States’ legal system, the study of case law, and how to interpret these laws.  The second quarter applies the knowledge students have gained through study by engaging them directly.  At the start of the second quarter, the two classes are given a case brief, and after the case has been presented, a decision is made as to which class will be in defense of the accused, and who will be prosecuting on behalf of the state.

This year’s case was State of NITA v. Sarah Baker, a murder case where the defendant, Ms. Baker, was accused of murdering her husband, Kelly Baker.  The charge was of first degree murder, and the defendant was claiming self-defense.  This case was chosen from a number of cases prepared by NITA, or the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Belbin’s class was chosen as the prosecution while Ms. Powers’ class was chosen as the defense.  The two classes would be facing off against one another in a mock trial near the conclusion of the semester.  This means that the two classes would be trying Ms. Baker in a courtroom setting, where the prosecution was hoping to get a guilty verdict from the jury, and the defense hoping for an acquittal.

The classes were divided into teams of lawyers, working with assistants and witnesses.  The work was very independent and team driven, as the class would only come together when assisting a specific team, or when a guest speaker visited.  Experts, such as detectives and attorneys, donated their time to provide insight and advice, as well as procedural tips.  

After two months of preparation, on January 10, the two classes met at the Forbes building for the mock trial.  The trial began at 9:30 a.m. and concluded around 2:10 p.m.  It was structured just like a normal trial in Massachusetts, with a judge and a six person jury.  The presiding judge was a practicing lawyer, and the jury consisted of Westborough residents.  

The trial began with opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense, followed by examinations of the prosecution’s witnesses, and then the defense’s witnesses.  Closing arguments marked the end of the trial.  With the arguments made, the jury deliberated to make a verdict of either guilty or not guilty for Sarah Baker.  

The jury was a stalemate, resulting in a 3-3 tie.  The result was a hung jury, meaning they could not make a decision one way or another.  A hung jury leads to a mistrial, meaning the trial was terminated before its normal conclusion, due to a deadlock by a jury without reaching a verdict after lengthy deliberation.  

Basically, there were no charges made against Ms. Baker and she was acquitted.  Although the jury did not overwhelmingly find Ms. Baker not guilty, she was still released.  In the case of a mistrial, the prosecution can always file a motion for another trial in the future, and that idea has been jokingly thrown around between classes.