Events
LACAH VI
LACAH VI: Spring 2024
On November 27th, 1978, ex-San Francisco district supervisor Dan White stormed into City Hall and gunned down two men: Mayor George Moscone and fellow Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay elected official. Yet, after committing two killings, he didn’t run from the police. He ran to the police. Stressed out and in tears, White confessed to his crimes on tape, immediately pleading guilty...so how did he get away with only 7 years in prison from two charges of manslaughter? How was he not charged with murder? A furious San Francisco gay community asked those same questions, rioting against the verdict and eventually leading California to ban the type of defense used by White’s lawyers.
In LACAH VI's trial, participants considered those very same questions, participating in 4 trials on both prosecution and defense across 2 days. Through the famous case of Daniel J White, which incensed public outrage so great that the legal definition of insanity itself was changed, participants considered the existence of laws as dynamic and possibly flawed.
Pushing Forwards
Continuing LACAH's practice of offering lesson and extensive resources to participants, LACAH VI saw an impressive and heightened level of mock trial from its participants. In particular, mock-trialers with significant experience in national tournaments fiercely clashed against LACAH regulars. With 66 participants across 16 teams from 5 different countries, LACAH VI was a fitting end to the 2023-2024 contest season, continuing LACAH's emphasis on historical perspectives from a variety of bacgkrounds.