Mock Trial Competition

In this article, Audrey will recap the Mock Trial Competition for the 2023-24 season. Additionally, she will provide information on the Mock Trial Season and provide information about how to join next year.

Mock Trial competition

By: Audrey Roetling

The GPHS Mock Trial Team has returned to competition this 2023-24 school year for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak. The team performed in the regional competition at the Jackson County Courthouse on Feb. 24, 2024.

Grants Pass High School Defense team against St. Mary's JV team.

Mock Trial is a scripted and unscripted reenactment of a court case. Students are given a case every year that includes the burden of proof, affidavits of witnesses, and all necessary rules of court and objections. Grants Pass High School competes together, with students acting as both a prosecution team and a defense team in alternating rounds against other schools.

The students have the opportunity to take on the role of an attorney or witness on the defense or prosecution team. Attorney roles are broken up into opening statements, cross-examination, direct examination, and closing arguments. The attorney roles can be partly scripted but, at competitions, the attorneys have to be adaptable to the arguments of the opposing party. Witnesses should be played by those who enjoy acting. Witnesses have to stick to their affidavit, but the way the character is portrayed is up to the student. Witnesses should know their affidavit is enough to respond to the questions of the attorneys, although answers are improvised.

This year, the Regional Competition was held at the Josephine County Courthouse on Feb. 24, 2024. The GPHS Mock Trial team participated in three rounds throughout the day. The team does not know if the defense or prosecution goes first until roughly five minutes before the round begins. The teams also do not know how many times the prosecution or defense will be called. GPHS’ defense won their first round against South Medford. In the second round, GPHS prosecution competed against St. Mary’s varsity team. In the third and final round, GPHS’ defense competed against St. Mary’s JV team.

This year, the Mock Trial case was criminal. The case followed the defendant Tommi Wright, who was accused of violating safety regulations, causing a crash, which caused injuries to plane passengers and took the life of a man. The investigator of the plane crash claimed that Tommi asked the other passenger to lie to cover up the fact that he broke the law, corruptly influencing his investigation. The GPS data that was offered as an exhibit of evidence was incomplete, so there was no way of proving if the pilot, Tommi, was following the law. The prosecution presented testimony of Tommi threatening passengers and avoiding questioning from the investigator. The defense claimed that Tommi could not remember much after the traumatic experience of the crash and brought up that, when the investigator questioned him, he was on intense painkillers in the hospital. The Mock Trial case materials do not have a clear answer of what truly happened, so both sides have to be creative with presenting their argument and the case from their perspective.

There are three judges for the competition. The teams are scored, not necessarily by who wins the case, but by the performance of witnesses, the arguments of attorneys, objections, responses to objections, and the questioning process. Two of the judges sit in the jury booth while the other judge takes the role of the judge in a courtroom. The judges are typically real judges or attorneys, so it is wonderful to receive feedback from them, whether it is constructive or a compliment.

During the season, Grants Pass High School’s Mock Trial team is led by three local attorneys: Adrianna Reinhart, Brodia Minter, and Brendan Davis. These attorneys volunteer their time to direct every single Mock Trial meeting, which occurs twice a week. The attorney teaches students how to review the affidavits, form arguments, properly question witnesses, and object to questions. The attorneys are eager to help students in the process to become a lawyer. They answer career-related questions, allow students to job shadow and intern, and they will even write college recommendation letters for some students. Elizabeth Dugan, who was a member of both the Prosecution and Defense Mock Trial Team, commented: “My favorite part of Mock Trial was the loving and hearted environment. We were able to make mistakes, joke around, and have fun with it.”

The students in Mock Trial spend the first two months reviewing case materials and learning objections. However, as the season continues, the club meetings consist of running through the case from beginning to end, with time to receive feedback from the lawyers and to go over the technicalities of the case as a group to improve. In Feb., before the regional competition, the Mock Trial team has dress rehearsals at the courthouse so that the competition is not the first time the team has ever been in a courtroom and spoken to a jury. Nebula Huertos-Martinez, a sophomore on GPHS’ Mock Trial team, stated: “Mock Trial is a really fun experience and, after completing a season, public speaking no longer seems that bad.”

Grants Pass High School returned to competition for the first time since COVID-19 this year. The team scored very well in many categories by the judges, especially for a first-year returning team. The Grants Pass High School Mock Trial team fully intends on going to the state competition next year.

Grants Pass High School Mock Trial team at the Jackson County Courthouse Regional Competition.

Anyone interested in joining the Mock Trial 2024-25 season is welcome, with absolutely no experience needed. The season will begin in Oct. 2024, although there will be accommodations for those in Fall Sports. The practices will be 3:45 pm -6 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Sources:

Interview with Elizabeth Dugan
Interview with Nebula Huertos-Martinez

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