FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jennifer R. Meece, Secretary to Judge S. Dwight Osterud
Perrysburg Municipal Court
300 Walnut Street
Perrysburg, OH 43551-1455
Telephone: 419-872-7915; Fax: 419-872-7947
E-mail: jmeece@ci.perrysburg.oh.us
State Contact: Addie Natalie, State Coordinator
Ohio Center for Law-Related Education
Local: (614) 485-3504
Toll Free: (877) 485-3510
PERRYSBURG COURT EXPLORERS ADVANCE TO REGIONAL COMPETITION
February 16, 2007 – Perrysburg, Ohio – Perrysburg Court Law & Government Explorer Post #2306 is sending Team Casey to compete in the regional Ohio Mock Trial Competition on February 23. They will join nine other teams from throughout Ohio at the Lorain County Courthouse. Team Casey will compete in two trials at regional competition and must win both to advance to state competition on March 8-10 in Columbus. The state winner will then have the opportunity to compete in the national competition in Dallas, Texas from May 10-12.
A total of three Perrysburg Court Explorer teams competed. Members of the winning Team Casey include Hanna BredenbeckCorp, Marshall Buchanan, Maria Dicke, Matt Jender, Danielle Jensen, Alexandra Koerner, David Mettert, Nicholas Prephan, Brett Samsen and Kyle Thompson. Peter R. Casey, III, an attorney with the firm Eastman & Smith, Ltd., serves as legal advisor to Team Casey.
Team Belazis is comprised of: Michael Belazis, Katherine Cottle, Jason Ginn, Katherine Karnitis, Rachel Marvin, Hannah Miller, Angela Robinson, Ellen Steele and Bradley Thielen. Paul Belazis, an attorney with the firm Arnold, Caruso, Green & Belazis, Ltd., serves as legal advisor to Team Belazis.
Team Osterud is compromised of: Sarah Jender, Jake Kosinski, David Mallinson, Stephanie Messenger, Ben Sironko, Lauren Smith, Erin Sutton, Yufei Tian and Erin Veller. Dwight Osterud, judge of Perrysburg Municipal Court, serves as legal advisor to Team Osterud.
Dr. Beth Rohrbacher, retired Student Services Director of Perrysburg Schools, is teacher advisor. John P. Donahue, a Perrysburg attorney, continues to serve as a legal advisor to all three teams.
Danielle Jensen, Stephanie Messenger, Brett Samsen and Brad Thielen earned outstanding attorney awards. Marshall Buchanan, Jason Ginn, Jake Kosinski, Rachel Marvin and Erin Veller won outstanding witness awards. Katie Kralik of Penta Career Center was also awarded outstanding attorney. The Wood County Bar Association is the local sponsor of the Wood District competition. They awarded Brett Samsen the overall outstanding attorney and Team Casey the overall winner of Wood District with two wins and no losses.
This is the Explorer Post’s fifth year participating in the Ohio Mock Trial Program, sponsored in part by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE). Each year the OCLRE’s Case Committee creates a fictitious case involving a constitutional issue. The case before the students this year is based upon the proper limitations of a government’s right to take private property under the United States Constitution Fifth Amendment “Eminent Domain” provision. The city of Strawberry Hills desires to take the house owned by the Petitioner, Chris Washington – not for a public project, but rather to permit a private developer to build a mixed use development as part of an urban revitalization project. The case demonstrates that state constitutions may be an additional source of protection for individual rights – and have the potential for rising above basic rights accorded by the U.S. Constitution.
The Perrysburg Court Explorer Post is open to membership to all high school students with an interest in law and government. For information contact Judge Osterud at 419-872-7915.
L-R Bottom Row: Marshall Buchanan, Matt Jender
Middle Row: Nicholas Prephan, Alexandra Koerner, Danielle Jensen, Maria Dicke
Top Row: Brett Samsen, Kyle Thompson, David Mettert, Hannah BredenbeckCorp
All Three Mock Trial Teams of Perrysburg Court Law & Government Explorer Post 2306.
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