Mock Trial places 4th at regionals, 9th at state
Posted April 13, 2023
By Long Le
Sports Editor
When the Mock Trial skills were recently judged, the verdict came back "not guilty." The team placed 4th out of 16 teams at Regionals, allowing them to head to state for the second time where they placed 9th out of 13 teams.
Mock Trial Advisor Joe Cornett reestablished the team in 2017 after it was dissolved in 2007. The team then made it state in 2019, breaking a four year drought.
“I was so proud of my team and that they’ve accomplished their goals,” said Cornett. “They put in the hard work to get there.”
The team won a close match at state against Saint Mary's. The private, all-girls, Portland academy made strong arguments that challenged Douglas, but senior Yoxana Padilla's match was a highlight for the team.
"Yoxana had an amazing closing argument and it closed the case," said Cornett.
Douglas lost to West Linn and Saint Mary's Medford, respectively, but argued their final round to victory over Bend's Summit High School.
At regionals, David Douglas defeated Grant, lost a close match to the private school Catlin Gabel, then defeated Jesuit.
The Mock Trial team studies just one case throughout the year. This year it was a civil case involving two rival track teams. One of track team members bashed a team member's knee from the other team with the shot put. The attacker was convicted, however, there was someone in the shadows pulling all the strings. Thus, the question was whether puppeteers are liable for the attack.
There was evidence for both sides, and the case could have gone either way. There were no wrong answers. It was a matter of which side provided the better argument. During a Mock Trial case, there are two roles: witnesses and attorneys. Each team is assigned eight attorneys and three witnesses. Points are ranked on five factors: professionalism, strong arguments, acting, objections, and legal knowledge. The judges are real attorneys who score the team from 1-10, adding up to a total score of 140 points. The remaining rules of a real court apply.
Daily Mock Trial practice involves analyzing the given case, developing legal knowledge and the rules of development, as well as acting and public speaking, all with the help of two assistant coaches, Early Decision teacher and former attorney Alex Sierra, and social studies teacher Stephen Helwig.
“We’re always looking for team members," said Cornett. "You can join in the fall.”