ABOVE: Madeline Miller, 8, left, grills a witness with the help of Deputy County Prosecuting Attorney Nathaniel Hibben on Tuesday during a mock trial for Torrington third graders in the District Court in Torrington. Madeline acted as assistant prosecutor during the case, questioning witnesses and performing all the duties of an actual attorney, as part of the learning experience. 

LEFT: Assistant defense attorney Olivia Meyer, 9, gets some tips from her co-council, Colby Sturgeon, while cross-examining a witness during the Mock Trial

Third-graders from Trail Elementary act as the jury Tuesday for the Mock Trial in Goshen County District Court in Torrington. The goal of the Mock Trial goes “beyond good and bad,” said Deputy County Prosecuting Attorney Nathaniel Hibben. “We want kids to understand something of our system of justice – fairness. We achieve that through an open process. Even though we might not like what a person is accused of, we have to make sure they’re treated fairly. These kids are young, but they’re not too young to learn the lessons” about the rule of law.

ABOVE: Prosecutors Madeline Miller, 8, and Nathaniel Hibben listen as defense attorneys Olivia Meyer, 9, and Colby Sturgeon question a witness during a mock trial on Tuesday in the Goshen County District Court.

LEFT: Goshen County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Miller, left, brings “The Bruiser” - played by local attorney Anna Barnes - into a courtroom filled with Trail Elementary third-graders Tuesday at the Goshen County Courthouse. The students were in Judge Patrick Korell’s court to view a mock arraignment and trial to help them learn about the Wyoming judicial system.