Students' mock trials lead
to deeper knowledge of issues

Students enrolled in Dr. Jessica Gisclair's honors section of Media Law and Ethics course presented two significant mock trials for audiences during the course of spring semester. The first was presented at Elon University's Student Undergraduate Research Forum in April. The second was staged in McEwen Studio B May 12.

The issue at the May 12 trial was titled "Controversial Art v. the First Amendment."

"Lawmakers and artist have debated about controversial art for decades," Gisclair explained. "Lawmakers do not want to offend people by displaying controversial art in public space. Artists are determined to fully express themselves through their art without prior restraint or censorship. This mock trial was aimed at attempting to resolve the issue of whether the removal of controversial art or the refusal to display controversial art is a violation of the First Amendment, bringing forth arguments for both sides of this issue and offering a resolution."

Participants were Katie Beaver, Erica Choutka, Chrissy Kilgariff, Sally Lynch, Annette Randall and Julie Smith.