Paul Bunyan Walks

Thanks to a decision by a jury of his peers, Paul Bunyan narrowly evaded fines in federal court Wednesday after the government charged him with environmental law infractions.

The court proceedings ended Wednesday morning in a mistrial, when a jury of sixth graders found themselves split over Bunyan’s innocence.

The peers of the mythical lumberjack turned out be sixth graders from the John C. Daniels Magnet School, who were participating in a mock trial taking place in U.S. District Court on Church Street.

It was the 11th iteration of the annual event resulting from a partnership between the school and lawyers from Yale-New Haven Health. For several weeks, the lawyers met with the sixth graders during school periods, helping them understand the trial and practice their public speaking skills.

Retired Judge Antonio Robaina presided over the trial. Students read their lines from a script, performing roles as lawyers, witnesses, the jury, court reporters, interpreters, a clerk, and Paul Bunyan himself.

“It’s about developing confidence to speak in front of other people,” said Aigné Goldsby, a lawyer who worked with the court interpreters.

The lawyers helped the kids enunciate their words and speak with emotion.

“We tell them, a lot of it is in the way you present things,” said lawyer Erika Amarante, who worked with the prosecution. ​“It’s the way you tell the story, not just the story itself.”

The prosecution accused Bunyan of environmental law infractions, saying that he ignored logging regulations, polluted and drained natural bodies of water, and destroyed the homes of animals. Bunyan was accused of working alongside a bull known as Blue Ox.

Defense lawyers argued that Bunyan’s tree-cutting was for the benefit of the public, allowing people to build houses and start fires. His reshaping of waterways, they added, created new habitats and water sources for both humans and animals.

Mr. Whiskers Takes The Stand

First up to the witness stand was Mr. Whiskers, a detective who testified for the prosecution. Whiskers, played by two rotating students, spoke in Spanish while students acting as court interpreters translated.

He testified that Bunyan and the Blue Ox had illegally hunted in the area, drained water from streams with their massive footsteps, and chopped down excessive amounts of trees for the purpose of making toothpaste.

“You can’t believe how much wood they could cut,” Whiskers said.

The script hasn’t always been bilingual, according to Andrew Orefice, the program coordinator for community relations at Yale-New Haven Health. But several years ago, it was adapted to accommodate for students whose first language is Spanish. All the students speaking in Spanish are native speakers, he said before the trial.

Blue Ox, donning a blue hat with white horns, took the stand next. As he came up to testify, Judge Robaina instructed him, ​“Please don’t sit on any of the fragile furniture.”

Blue Ox said he wasn’t aware of federal logging regulations, since oxen can’t read. As for the charges that his footsteps disrupted water flow, Blue Ox exclaimed, ​“What do you want me to do, tiptoe for the rest of my life?”

The drama continued as Paul Bunyan came up to testify in his own defense, wearing a white beard and carrying a red hatchet.

When the prosecution opened their arguments with a taunt about Bunyan’s last name — ​“Isn’t that a name for a foot disease?” — defense lawyers were quick to protest.

“Objection, objection!” they cried out. ​“Argumentative!”

Meanwhile, court reporters made drawings of the proceedings, since they were not permitted to photograph the trial.

Verdict

The jury retreated for ten minutes to deliberate. This was the only unscripted part of the trial, and the other students waited in anticipation until the clerk announced the verdict.

For the first time in the mock trial’s history, the jury was split, unable to decide whether Bunyan was guilty or innocent.

The clerk delivered the news to resounding cheers from the defense. Judge Robaina declared a mistrial, and Paul Bunyan narrowly missed having to pay up.

After the trial, a handful of designated students asked Judge Robaina questions. They inquired about his favorite sports player (he named several, including Tom Brady) and whether he was born in the ​‘90s (no).

When asked why he wanted to become a judge, Robaina explained that he took the job after years of experience as a lawyer.

“It’s a big responsibility,” he said. ​“You have to take it seriously and work very hard.”

Class teachers Bill Johnson and Jody Perrilli have facilitated the mock trial for all of its 11 years. According to Johnson, the mock trial helps the kids develop acting skills and gain insight into the legal process. ​“They’re experiencing the law, how to follow the rules — if you don’t, there’s consequences,” Johnson said.

“I see them really maturing over the process,” Perrilli said.

Nickolas Santaella, who played Paul Bunyan, said he was nervous at first.

“It took guts,” he said. ​“My heart was racing.”

He enjoyed the experience of visiting the federal court, he said. ​“I’ve never seen a courtroom, but I watch a lot of Criminal Minds.”

Slicing The Verdict

Yesenia Santana’s daughter played the role of the interpreter. Her two older sons also participated in mock trials of previous years. Santana said that watching the trial made her feel emotional.

“When we came from Puerto Rico, she only spoke Spanish. I am proud of her because now she speaks two languages,” Santana said. She would be happy if her daughter wanted to become an interpreter in the future, she said.

After the trial, Yale New Haven Health hosted the sixth graders for a pizza party in the hospital’s cafeteria. At the lunch, Kearlzel Marquis, who played the role of a defense attorney, said the best part of the trial was finding out the verdict.

Her colleague on the defense team, Jayden, said he hadn’t expected the lawsuit to end in a mistrial, but Kearlzel had been less surprised.

Both students think that Paul Bunyan deserved to win the trial.

“If it wasn’t for him, a lot of kids wouldn’t have food to eat or homes to live in,” Kearlzel said.

“Or fires to build,” Jayden jumped in.