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Montgomery County teens act as judge, jury, attorneys at summer academy

More than 30 high school students took part in the part in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Summer Academy Makaylah Phelps is not a judge, but she is a rising high school senior at Montgomery Blair High School. Seated in a black...

Dan Murphy • •1 min read
Montgomery County teens act as judge, jury, attorneys at summer academy
Family & Education

Montgomery County teens act as judge, jury and attorneys in unique summer academy

More than 30 high school students took part in the part in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Summer Academy

By

Kate Ryan - WTOP

August 13, 2026 10:03 a.m.

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    A gavel
    Gavel on desk. Photo credit: Marilyn Nieves/Getty Images

    Makaylah Phelps is not a judge, but she is a rising high school senior at Montgomery Blair High School.

    Seated in a black judge’s robe in a Montgomery County courtroom, she carried herself with the authority of a veteran jurist on the bench.

    She and more than 30 other high school students were taking part in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Summer Academy.

    Saher Kataria, a senior at Northwest High School, was the prosecutor in the mock trial and was confident of a win in a case where the charges included robbery and assault.

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    This article was written by Bethesda Today’s partner WTOP News and republished with permission. Sign up for WTOP’s breaking news, traffic and weather alerts and emails today.

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    Originally published at Bethesdamagazine