District Judge John G. Cummings ’63 has a place of honor with the St. Clair County Bar Association, which  named its top prize for the high school mock trial program in his honor.
Several years ago the bar association, concerned that some teams placed too high a value on winning, decided to highlight the importance of professionalism during the annual mock trial event. They wanted to downplay the antagonism between teams and reward students who thought about how others demonstrated professionalism and respect for the law and each other.
The bar developed a rubric which is given to each team after each round, and requires student participants to rate how their opposition fared on several areas, including appearance, proficiency addressing the jury/judge, compliance with rules, attitude, and persuasive abilities.
The St. Clair County Bar Association Board of Directors determined that the award should be named for a member of its group, current or past, who demonstrated professionalism at all times. The unanimous choice was District Court Judge John G. Cummings. The award and trophy named in honor of John Cummings’ 50-plus years of professionally and respectfully serving litigants through his private practice, and including more than 20 years on the bench as a District Court judge.
