San Anselmo Students Prepare for 2015 Mock Trial Competition

The following is a news release from the Marin County Superintendent of Schools:

The 2015 Mock Trial Competition, coordinated by the Marin County Office of Education, will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2015, and Saturday, February 7, 2015, at the Marin County Courthouse. The following judges are presiding over this year’s competition: Terrence R. Boren, Roy O. Chernus, James T. Chou, Paul M. Haakenson, James R. Ritchie, Vernon F. Smith, and Mark A. Talamantes.

Each year the Constitutional Rights Foundation creates a Mock Trial case for students across the state of California. The case provides students with an opportunity to wrestle with large societal problems within a structured forum and strives to provide a powerful and timely educational experience. This year’s case, the People v. Shem, is a trial about art theft, with pretrial emphasis on the Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure.

There are nine Marin County High Schools participating this year: The Branson School, Marin Academy, Marin Catholic, Redwood, San Marin, San Rafael, Sir Francis Drake, Tamalpais, and Terra Linda. Each team of students prepares both the prosecution and defense positions for the case. Over 200 students are participating in the event this year. More than 30 attorneys have worked with the school teams since September 2014. Almost 30 additional local attorneys are volunteering their time to score the competition.

The winning team will represent Marin County at the State Mock Trial Competition on March 20-22, 2015, in Riverside, California.

Should a Marin County team win at the State Competition, they will advance to the National Competition in Raleigh, North Carolina on May 14-16, 2015.

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