After several days of fierce courtroom competition, and thoughtful deliberations by esteemed judges, the verdicts are in for the 2013 Gordon D. Schaber (GDS) Mock Trial and Moot Court Competition. In Sacramento County, Elk Grove High School is the winner of the Mock Trial competition. West Campus High School earned top honors in the Moot Court competition.
Rio Americano High School (Team 2) placed second in the Mock Trial competition and Bella Vista High School (Team 2) was runner-up in the Moot Court competition.
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), which coordinates the event, announced the winners at the GDS Awards Ceremony on March 4. Elk Grove High will advance to the California Mock Trial Competition which will be held in Riverside, March 22-24. California does not hold a statewide Moot Court competition.
Teams from 18 Sacramento County high schools, as well as 4 teams from El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties, competed in the 34th annual event. Volunteers from local law firms and other legal organizations served as scoring and presiding judges for the five-day event.
Mock Trial Results
Sacramento County Rankings
- 1st place: Elk Grove High School
- 2nd place: Rio Americano High School (Team 2)
- 3rd place: St. Francis High School
- 4th place: Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Charter High School (Team 1)
- 5th place: Rio Americano High School (Team 1)
- 6th place: Sacramento Country Day
- 7th place: Pleasant Grove High School
- 8th place: Sheldon High School
Placer County 1st Place: Rocklin High School
Yolo County 1st Place: River City High School
El Dorado County 1st Place: Ponderosa High School
School Sportsmanship Award: Natomas Pacific Pathways (Team 1)
Moot Court Results
1st place: West Campus High School
2nd place: Bella Vista High School (Team 2)
3rd place: Bella Vista High School (Team 1)
4th place: C.K. McClatchy High School (Team 1)
School Sportsmanship Award: Franklin High School (Team 2)
About the Competitions
The Mock Trial competition simulates a trial-level proceeding in which students portray the roles of pre-trial counsel, prosecuting and defense attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, bailiffs, and jurors before a single presiding judge and two scoring judges. It includes courtroom art and courtroom journalism competitions. The county Mock Trial winner advances to a statewide competition.
The Moot Court competition is an appellate-level proceeding in which students prepare and argue a case before a panel of three judges who evaluate participants on the quality and persuasiveness of their legal reasoning and presentation, as well as their unscripted responses to spontaneous questions from the bench.
The California Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.