Teens to begin acting as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, bailiffs, court clerks and jurors.

Seattle Municipal Court Judge Karen Donohue knows there's nothing scarier for parents than handing over a set of car keys to a teenage driver.

She also knows that when adults talk — be it a parent, a teacher, or even a judge — what teens tend to hear is a lot of "white noise." And when young people make a mistake behind the wheel, it's often their parents who end up paying tickets and dealing with increased car-insurance rates.

Changing that dynamic is behind the launch of the city's first youth traffic court, which will begin hearing cases later this month involving Seattle drivers younger than 18. The court will be staffed by 22 Garfield High School students. The Garfield students will get community service credit and have been trained by law students from Seattle University to act as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, bailiffs, court clerks and jurors. Garfield was chosen because of its proximity to Seattle University.

But instead of handing out fines, the court will tailor sanctions based on the philosophy of restorative justice, according to Margaret Fisher, co-director of the Seattle youth traffic court along with Donohue and Seattle Municipal Court Magistrate Lisa Leone. A teen may be ordered to write an essay for the school paper, or perhaps do yard work for someone whose vehicle was damaged.
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