Campbell Union High School District’s Prospect High School’s prosecution team defeated Fremont Union High School District’s Lynbrook High School’s defense team in the championship round of the Santa Clara County High School Mock Trial Tournament on Feb. 15.
The winning team will advance to the state championship in March.
The Santa Clara County Office of Education in partnership with the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the Santa Clara County Superior Court, sponsors the Santa Clara County High School Mock Trial Tournament which gives students an authentic trial experience. Each year, high school teams study a hypothetical case that the Constitutional Rights Foundation provides. A team of 18 students prepares to defend or prosecute the case and fulfill the roles of pretrial attorneys, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses and court staff.
“Thank you to the Santa Clara County Bar Association, County Superior Court, attorney coaches, and staff for their hard work in coordinating this meaningful event for students,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, County Superintendent of Schools. “I would also like to congratulate Prospect High School on their win. The skills students develop during this tournament will serve them in their future careers and academics.”
After multiple years of virtual tournaments due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 20 public and private high schools returned to compete in-person at the Santa Clara County Superior Court’s Old Courthouse in downtown San Jose. The tournament was presided over by sitting superior court judges and was scored by hundreds of local attorneys.
In this year’s hypothetical case, the prosecution charged the defendant with battery and robbery when stealing a rival actor’s Shakespearean ring aboard a cruise ship. The prospection argued this was a case about the envy of the understudy. The defense countered that it was an accident, not an attack.
Prospect High School’s team will now advance to the state championship in Los Angeles, hosted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, on March 17-19.
Additional recognitions included Prospect High School’s Hyoum Lee, winner of the 2023 Santa Clara County Courtroom Artist Contest, and recent retirees Judge Jim Towery and Assistant United States Attorney Jim Scharf who received the Johnny Gogo Award for their decades of service to the Santa Clara County Mock Trial Program.
For information about the Mock Trial Competition and participating schools, visit sccoe.org/plisd/history/Pages/Mock-Trial.aspx.
