In the first-ever, Buena vs. Ventura Supreme Court Case Night May 9, local Ventura County judges and VUSD administration sat as mock Supreme Court Justices allowing six bright Buena and Ventura students to demonstrate their academic strengths in a debate and questioning style of competition.
The case in question was The Food and Drug Administration (represented by Buena) vs. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (represented by Ventura), a case decided on by the supreme court in March of 2024. Students were questioning the court for answers: Do respondents (A.H.M.) have article iii standing to challenge the food and drug administrations’ 2016 and 2021 actions concerning mifepristone approved conditions, and were the FDAs 2016 and 2021 approvals of mifepristone arbitrary and capricious?
Buena was represented by seniors, Azaia Kurz, Michelle Garriss, and Jasmine Paramo. Ventura was a team of two juniors, Mazy Hatley and Leah Murphy, and senior Violet Hurgie. Acting as Chief Justice for the night was Ventura County Judge, Derek Malan.
The night began with words from prior Buena teacher and current Ventura teacher Aaron Torres. He described this night as being “the project that this country needs,” and that “the most important things here are that students can look at the constitution with an eye of compromise.”
The opening statement was given by Buena’s Garriss and a response from Ventura’s Kepler was provided. Following this, a short statement of fact was provided by Buena’s government teacher, Matthew Colton. The floor was opened up to the panel and the students were questioned.
“I think they explained it [article iii] well,” senior and spector Dominic Hernandez said. “They made it easy to understand if you didn’t know what it was.”
After approximately an hour of detailed questioning from the justices and thorough answers from the students, the panel felt they had gathered enough information and were able to make their decision. After sending the students out of the room, the justices deliberated in front of the spectators.
“It was so nerve-wracking being questioned,” senior participant and acting defendant Jasmine Paramo said. “But, we had worked really hard and were prepared; we had lots of research and counterarguments for whatever they could possibly say.”
Compliments to both sides were given. After working their way through the panel, the justices ultimately decided 9:0 that no, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, represented by the Ventura team, didn’t have standing and therefore lost the case. Malan called the students back into the room and delivered the justice’s decision.
“It was really fun to hear what they had to say and then rebutting it,” Paramo said. “I felt very accomplished. Like wow, ‘I just won a court case’.”
To conclude the night, Malan expressed how he was “amazed by these kids” and that their [the justices] decisions “were not reflected upon the abilities and effort” and commemorated Ventura for fighting so hard in their “uphill battle.”
