Cal High Mock Trial Team Wins County Competition 9th Year In A Row, Advances To States

SAN RAMON, CA — California High School won the Contra Costa County Mock Trial championship for the ninth year in a row, according to the Contra Costa County Office of Education. The team will now represent Contra Costa County at the California Mock Trial Finals in March.

The team beat out Miramonte High School in Orinda in the championship trial, which was held Feb. 17 at the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez. Deer Valley High School in Antioch won third place, and Acalanes High School in Lafayette came in fourth. Dougherty Valley High School, Monte Vista High School, and San Ramon Valley High School teams also participated.

The Cal High team, coached by Brian Barr, joined 19 other high schools from across Contra Costa County and argued cases in front of real judges and attorneys. Students worked with teachers and attorney coaches to prepare as witnesses, attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and pretrial motion attorneys in the case of “People v. Fromholz,” a fictional case centered on a chef on a chef in a reality cooking competition accused of murdering a celebrity judge using poisonous mushrooms. Charges include first degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Cal High’s Keerthi Eraniyan earned first place in the courtroom journalism contest, and will advance to the state Mock Trial journalism competition.

“These experiences help shape our youth for the future, and they would not be possible without the continued support of the Superior Court, the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, and the many judges, coaches, and legal professionals who volunteer their time to the Mock Trial program,” Contra Costa County Superintendent Lynn Mackey said in a statement.