Winner Of 39th Annual Riverside County Mock Trial Announced

Press release from the Riverside County Office of Education:

March 3, 2021

After the virtual gavel sounded in the online courtroom at the 39th Annual Riverside County Mock Trial Championships on Saturday, February 27, Martin Luther King High School from the Riverside Unified School District was named the champion for the third time in school history.

King High School advances to the 2021 California State Mock Trial Championship set to take place virtually from March 19-21. They will vie for a chance to compete at the National Mock Trial Competition set for May 13-15 in Evansville, Indiana.

In the semifinal round held earlier on Saturday February 27, King High School defeated Notre Dame High School and Chaparral High School (Temecula Valley Unified School District) advanced by dispatching returning champion, Poly High School (Riverside Unified School District).

The month-long competition featured 20 schools and nearly 400 students. Due to pandemic restrictions on crowds, all mock trial competitions for 2021 were held virtually. Mock Trial involves students arguing simulated cases in front of real judges, and scored by practicing attorneys. The multi-round competition is open to all students in grades 9 through 12 enrolled in public and private high schools in Riverside County. Teams consist of 8-25 students filling the virtual courtroom roles of defense and prosecution attorneys, witnesses, clerks, and more.

This year’s competition features students trying the fictional case of People vs. Croddy. Lee Croddy, who hosts a popular YouTube channel called The Right Choice of News (RCN), is being charged with aiding and abetting in the commission of first-degree burglary by another and accessory after the fact.

This press release was produced by the Riverside County Office of Education. The views expressed here are the author's own.