IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 25 
Calling on the Board of Directors of the National High School Mock Trial 
Championship to accommodate students of all religious faiths. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2007 
Mr. ROTHMAN (for himself and Mr. RAMSTAD), submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Calling on the Board of Directors of the National High 
School Mock Trial Championship to accommodate stu-
dents of all religious faiths. 
Whereas religious intolerance and discrimination continue to 
be the root causes of many of the conflicts around the 
world; 
Whereas the United States of America was founded by those 
seeking to practice their religion freely, and the American 
justice system, including all legal professionals involved, 
should be working to uphold this principle; 
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution states that 
‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment 
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or 
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jan 07, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR25.IH
HR25
jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
•HRES 25 IH 
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition 
the Government for a redress of grievances’’; 
Whereas section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Con-
stitution states, ‘‘All persons born or naturalized in the 
United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are 
citizens of the United States and of the State wherein 
they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law 
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citi-
zens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive 
any person of life, liberty, or property, without due proc-
ess of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction 
the equal protection of the laws.’’; 
Whereas the National High School Mock Trial Championship 
has been, until this date, a prestigious event that requires 
a tremendous amount of preparation, skill, and dedica-
tion on behalf of those students who are competing, and 
is looked upon with distinction by institutions of higher 
learning; 
Whereas the National High School Mock Trial Championship 
is a program based on constitutional law; 
Whereas the sponsor of the 2005 competition stated that, 
‘‘The National High School Mock Trial Championship is 
a participatory program that engages students, legal pro-
fessionals and the educational community to advance the 
understanding of the American justice system and the 
important role of lawyers. A well-educated public trans-
lates into a more engaged citizenry that is better 
equipped and more interested in fulfilling their civic re-
sponsibilities’’; 
Whereas the National High School Mock Trial Championship 
espouses the goals of heightening ‘‘appreciation of the 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jan 07, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR25.IH
HR25
jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
•HRES 25 IH 
principle of equal justice for all’’ and promoting the ‘‘ex-
change of ideas among students from throughout the 
United States’’; 
Whereas the usual National High School Mock Trial Cham-
pionship schedule consists of two rounds on Friday and 
two rounds on Saturday, followed by a Championship 
round on Saturday; 
Whereas the Torah Academy of Bergen County of Teaneck, 
New Jersey, won the 2005 New Jersey State Bar Foun-
dation High School tournament, and was eligible to com-
pete in the National High School Mock Trial Champion-
ship; 
Whereas the members of the mock trial team from Torah 
Academy observe the Sabbath, in accordance with their 
practice of Orthodox Judaism, and would not have been 
able to participate in any National High School Mock 
Trial Championship competitions from sundown on Fri-
day through sundown on Saturday without certain ac-
commodations; 
Whereas satisfactory accommodations were made to allow 
Torah Academy of Teaneck, New Jersey, to compete dur-
ing the last National High School Mock Trial Champion-
ship held in Charlotte, North Carolina, from May 5–7, 
2005, without violating the religious practices of the stu-
dents; 
Whereas a review of the post-host report compiled after the 
2005 Championship showed a majority of the comments 
supported the accommodations made for the Torah Acad-
emy students and the benefit of competing with the 
Torah Academy students; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jan 07, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR25.IH
HR25
jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
•HRES 25 IH 
Whereas one respondent replied, ‘‘the compromise dem-
onstrated fairness, tolerance and problem-solving, all val-
ues that I try to encourage in my students’’; 
Whereas the Board of Directors of the National High School 
Mock Trial Championship voted on October 15, 2005, to 
refuse any future accommodations for students who ob-
serve Sabbath on Friday and/or Saturday; 
Whereas students who have otherwise met all of the criteria 
to participate in the qualifying competitions leading to 
the National High School Mock Trial Championship 
should be able to compete regardless of their religious af-
filiation; 
Whereas the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey State Bar 
Foundation unanimously voted at its October 27, 2005, 
meeting that New Jersey will not compete in the Na-
tional High School Mock Trial Championship unless the 
National Board establishes a policy permitting accommo-
dation for religious observance; 
Whereas on January 6, 2006, the North Carolina Academy 
of Trial Lawyers also officially withdrew from partici-
pating in the National High School Mock Trial Cham-
pionship because the National Board would not make 
changes to the competition’s schedule to accommodate 
students with religious restrictions; 
Whereas the decision of the Board of Directors of the Na-
tional High School Mock Trial Championship to refuse 
any future accommodations for students who observe 
their Sabbath on Friday and/or Saturday adversely and 
wrongly impacts observant Jewish, Muslim, and Seventh- 
Day Adventist students; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jan 07, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR25.IH
HR25
jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS
•HRES 25 IH 
Whereas the decision made by the Board of Directors of the 
National High School Mock Trial Championship is incon-
sistent with the spirit of freedom of religion or equal pro-
tection; and 
Whereas all students should be allowed to both compete fully 
in the National High School Mock Trial Championship 
and uphold the practice of their religion: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) calls on the Board of Directors of the Na-
tional High School Mock Trial Championship to ac-
commodate the religious beliefs of students partici-
pating in the competition; and 
(2) urges the Board of Directors of the Na-
tional High School Mock Trial Championship to re-
structure the rules of the competition to allow quali-
fying students of all faiths to compete fully in this 
national championship without betraying their reli-
gious beliefs. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jan 07, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR25.IH
HR25
jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with BILLS