You step out of your car and into a subtle office building in Cedar Park. As you stroll up the stairs, teenagers in dress suits and skirts rush in flurries all around you. They move to the same door on the second floor. Chairs look out at two stands, a podium, and a sectioning of seats on the side. In a moment, the teens will take their positions. It’s a Monday night at Teen Court.

Teen Court consists of two types of meetings nearly every Monday. The main ones are orientations and auditions, which are best for people who aspire to be bailiffs, clerks, attorneys, or judges. The second type occurs on the other nights, where those roles will conduct the court cases for teenagers who have been found guilty of drinking while driving, speeding, smoking, or something similar to that degree. By taking part in the teen court program, they can be sentenced to community service hours, and their record will be cleared. 

On one side, two attorneys represent the defendant and advocate for a lesser sentence. On the other side, two attorneys represent the state, who typically wants the defendant to have the strictest sentence. The grand jury is chosen on the day of the trial- if you arrive five to ten minutes early, you can sign up for it and have a say in the teen’s sentence.

The judge mitigates the attorneys’ opening speeches, questioning, conclusions, and chances for rebuttal. Then, the group jury exits the room to determine the best penalty.

The next court case of the night will then follow suit. Once it has ended in the same fashion, the first grand jury will return and reveal their verdict. Next, the second grand jury returns and does the same.

After the cases have ended, the professional lawyers who head the program advise and critique the attorneys, and they sometimes finish the night with a team-building exercise like group relay races.

Teen Court begins at 6:30 sharp and, if you stay the whole time, ends around 8:45. The air is electric and it’s hard to not be entertained by the fast-paced, witty speeches and atmosphere. 

If you want to learn more about Teen Court, the club meets at school on Wednesdays every Rotation 2! And the dynamic Williamson County Teen Court Program loves it when there are newcomers!