A look into the court: The State of Ohio v Barney Fife

In the American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) courts Thursday morning, there was a hearing for the mock-trial case “State of Ohio v. Barney Fife.” The court was presided over by John Beuselinck of Pennell City, and was tasked with deciding whether Mr. Barney Fife was to be found guilty or not guilty.

In the fictional case, Fife was charged with disorderly conduct due to words that were printed on his shirt. A passing officer found the message to be offensive which led to the arrest.

Fife was placed under arrest, but not without getting a lawyer by his side to defend his rights to free speech. Delegate Hunter Williams-Sanders of Zulch City took the role of defending attorney, and Isaac Crawford of Peltier City was the prosecuting attorney.

William-Sanders questioned the first witness, a fellow officer on radio call that arrived at the scene after the argument started. He asked, “Do you find the language on the defendant’s shirt to be grossly offensive?” The witness claimed he viewed the shirt as “quite comical.”
Crawford then chose to bring no witnesses to the stand, and Williams-Sanders called his defendant up. The defendant took an oath and began telling his story in response.

“At the time of the event, what were you doing?” Williams-Sanders inquired.

“I was just minding my own business walking and this gentleman walks up and says my shirt’s offensive and asked me to change it. And I basically told him that it’s my right to wear what I feel is appropriate,” Fife noted.

Fife then went on to tie-in his military background, and how those experiences affect his response to high stress situations.
After both parties expressed their stories, the court had to come to a final decision. Beuselinck ended up ruling that he found the defendant “not guilty.”

At ALBBS, the elected judges have to participate in cases and resolve problems. This case is an example of how the law is put into order and interpreted by the officials. The case is fictional, but the process is not. All day, these judges are using their experience to make decisions in their offices.