2010 COUNTY MOCK TRIAL

The County Mock Trial program is sponsored and coordinated by the Mendocino County Office of Education.  The Mock Trial program requires high school student team members to assume the roles of the attorneys and witnesses involved in a fictitious criminal trial that is based on an important issue currently facing America's youth. Each team is linked with an attorney coach who helps student attorneys/witnesses prepare a defense pretrail motion argument, opening/closing statements, witness questioning/response, and general courtroom etiquette. There are also components to the event that will integrate your art (Courtroom Artist) and English (Journalist) departments into the competition.

Each year The Constitutional Rights Foundation works with the state's legal community to develop the case fact pattern, witness statements, allowable evidence, and all other information that teams will need into a self-contained casebook.

Members from all aspects of the local legal community, including judges, district attorneys, public defenders, alternate defenders, and private counsel volunteer their time to coach teams or score/officiate during the competitions.

Resources

For more information about the County Mock Trial program, please contact Carolyn Brown, at 272-8682. 

Press Release

UKIAH, CA ~ Three local high school teams will compete at the annual County Mock Trial competition, sponsored by the Mendocino County Office of Education, at the Mendocino County Courthouse in downtown Ukiah beginning Saturday, January 30, 2010.  Semi-final competition will continue the following Saturday morning February 6th, with the top two teams advancing to the final round of competition to be held that afternoon beginning at 1:30 at the City Council Chambers at Ukiah City Hall.

The finalist teams will compete for the right to become the holders of the County Mock Trial perpetual trophy for the coming year, and for the honor of representing our county at the state competition to be held in San Jose, March 19-21.  Award ceremonies are scheduled to begin at approximately 3:30-4:00 p.m. on both Saturdays.

High school teacher coaches recruit students to participate in this academic enrichment activity each year.  Approximately 50 students represent the three high school teams.  Participating schools and coaches are:  Laytonville High (coach-Bruce Potter), Redwood Academy of Ukiah/Accelerated Achievement Academy (coach-Rod Logan), and Ukiah High (coach-Orlando Briant).

The County Mock Trial competition gives high school students the opportunity to experience the American judicial system first-hand.  Student teams will argue both sides of a fictitious case developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the statewide coordinators of this academic enrichment activity.

Student team members will portray all key roles in the case of People v. Bratton, the trial of Jordan Bratton, a resident of the town of Hollyville.  Bratton is charged with murder in the First Degree of entertainment critic Preston Palmer.  The pretrial issue involves the Fourth Amendment freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, the ruling on which may impact the evidence that is allowed at trial.

Members from all aspects of the local legal community, including judges, district attorneys, public defenders, alternate defenders, and private counsel volunteer their time to coach teams or score/officiate during the competitions.  Four are coaching teams this year, including Elizabeth Norman (Laytonville), Matthew Finnegan (Redwood/Accelerated Achievement Academies); and Katharine Elliott and Tom Mason(Ukiah).

For more information contact Carolyn Brown at the Mendocino County Office of Education, (707) 272-8682.

Critical Dates

School Registration

September 8 - October 30

Team Member Registration

Due:  October 30

Scrimmage Matches at Courthouse

December 12 (RSVP by Nov 20)

Official Team Roster

Due:  January 8

Semi-Final Competition at Ukiah Courthouse

Saturday, January 30

Semi-Final Competition at Ukiah Courthouse Continues

Saturday, February 6 AM

Final Competition at City Council Chambers

Saturday, February 6 PM