Chief Judge Tammi Lambert would like to share with you a memory of her favorite jury trial.
The Santa Ana Tamaya Wellness Center’s Kelly Raton, coordinated a tour of the Santa Ana Public Safety and Judicial Complex with the after-school program, with students K-8th that happened on October 9, 2024. The Public Safety and Judicial Complex still had that new courthouse smell. Even the benches in the courtroom had not yet arrived. The children piled out of the school bus and headed into the rotunda. They first toured the Santa Ana Police Department side of the building with Rochelle Armijo, SAPD Administration assistant, as their guide. Afterward, they were greeted by Stormy Tuttle, Deputy Court Clerk, who led the tour of the judicial side. After touring the Court side of the Complex, the children gathered in the courtroom for a Mock Trial.
The fact patterns for the Mock Trial: The defendant (played by SAPD Rochelle Armijo) was accused of not only chewing gum and blowing a bubble at school, a forbidden activity, but also was spotted spitting out the gum on the playground. She was defended by Santa Ana Public Defender Eileen Baca-Penner. The Prosecution was Janiece Garcia (Court Clerk). Rosemary Manrique acted as bailiff and jury management services. The students volunteered to serve as witnesses, jurors, and as the deeply concerned public. SAPD officers were on hand as Court Security.
After the presentation of the case, the student jury retired to the deliberation room and later returned to the court to share their findings. They found the defendant guilty. The Court passed a sentence that the defendant had to apologize and promise never to do that again. Post jury interviews revealed that the student jury took their role very seriously, and their arguments and considerations would make any judge proud.
After the court procedure ended, all the students were invited to ask the Judge any questions. The children learned that one might get a candy or treat if they asked a question, so every child in the room asked the judge questions. They went home with a rich understanding of the judge’s favorite color, her age, and hopefully, an experience of what a good tribal court system, and due process, look like.