Glass slippers, a fairy godmother and terrible step-mother – Cinderella is back in the headlines.
But instead of going to the ball, she headed to Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse in downtown Omaha Thursday.
In 30-something-years as a federal judge, Lyle Strom has never heard a case like this.
And, probably won't again.
"You've never heard of any family members getting paid some sort of hourly wage of doing cleaning around the house?” asked a defendant representing Lady Tremaine.
If you're wondering - yes, this is a mock trial. For almost 20 years, the judge – along with the Omaha Bar Association, Omaha Public Schools and actors from the Rose Theatre – use fairytales to navigate students into understanding the judicial world.
"Federal court is not something particularly every day people have contact with and I think it's important for citizens to understand their judicial system,” Strom says.
Taking the stand, newly-married Cinderalla sues her alleged wicked step-mother Lady Tremaine for back wages when she lived with her.
The fate of either side is in the hands of a jury made up of fifth graders from Liberty Elementary.
Based on students’ reactions, it appears to be working.
“I like how they actually did a play - made it way easier for us to understand and for us to know how they debate,” says Aaliyah McAfee, a student.
A hundred students listened as lawyers interviewed witnesses and made closing
Arguments.
For some, a shade of grey entered into the jury's mind.
"Like some people like chose like the stepmother and everybody chose Cinderella," Da’Shawn Ashley.
At the end, students handed a verdict in her favor.
A fairytale ending becomes sweeter when students say they walked out of Strom's courtroom feeling confident in knowing how the federal court works.
