James Buchanan Barnes, known to some as Bucky and others as The Winter Soldier, is being put on trial.
The question: should he be held accountable for his actions in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where he injured hundreds of people and killed the Director of SHIELD Nicholas J. Fury? 
Or is he innocent on the grounds of insanity caused by years of torture at the hands of HYDRA and post posttraumatic stress?
That is what The Legal Geeks are going to find out at San Diego Comic Fest. On Saturday, February 13th, the Prosecution (The Avengers) and the Defense (The Defenders) will take part in the Trial of the Winter Soldier. The case is as follows:
James Buchanan Barnes is charged with collaboration as a prisoner of war, multiple counts of murder, terrorism, insurrection, and treason. Barnes’ crimes span over 70 years of levying war against the United States with the terrorist organization HYDRA.
The Government will argue that James Barnes was a willful participant in Secretary Alexander Pierce’s plan to overthrow the United States government, which included the planned assassination President Mathew Ellis, all of Congress (minus Senator Stern), the United States Supreme Court, and several million United States citizens from Washington, DC, to New York City.
The Defense will argue that Defendant Barnes was legally insane at the time of the alleged criminal actions. Barnes is now competent to stand trial.
Law students from Pacific McGeorge, University of Michigan, and Whittier will make up both teams for both the Prosecution and the Defense. The case is presided over by United States Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal. The expert witnesses on the case are Dr. Andrea Letamendi, from The Arkham Sessions and Dr. Janina Scarlet, from Super-Hero Therapy. You can read their incredibly detailed expert witness reports on the website analyzing the actions and mental state of the accused. Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow has also been called to testify.
There is also plenty of documented evidence for both sides to discuss including a field report from Agent Sharon Carter, Barnes’ military records, and (my personal favorite) a report from National Transportation Safety Board totaling the property and environmental damages from the “Crash and Sinking of Project Insight Helicarriers.” (Hint: It’s a lot of billions.) These Legal Geeks are not messing around!
Organizer of the event, Attorney Josh Gillard says, “Our goal is for attendees to see the most realistic trial with fictional characters possible…It is really fantastic to have ‘geek” material bring so many people together.
If you would like to participate in the trial of the Winter Soldier spots are still available! The Legal Geeks are still looking for a bailiff, a law student for the defense team, and a few jurors. Or attend the trial and see our legal system in action.