Students from two dozen high school throughout Riverside County will match wits and attempt their best legal maneuvering, starting Tuesday, when the 43rd annual Riverside County Mock Trial Competition gets underway.
“Mock trial has a rich history in Riverside County with practicing attorneys, sitting judges and current legal professionals who credit their experience with mock trial with instilling a passion for the law at an early age,” county Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez said. “We look forward to seeing the future leaders of our justice system in action throughout the multiple rounds of competition in our county courtrooms.”
The event will be held at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and the Riverside Hall of Justice, continuing until the last week of February, when the semi-final and final rounds will be held.
The mock trials contest regularly draws about 400 students, according to the Office of Education.
The event returned to in-person meets instead of virtual ones in 2023 after the public school system rescinded COVID-driven restrictions on gatherings that were in place during the 2021 and 2022 events. The 2020 competition was held prior to the school closures.
The Office of Education, in partnership with the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Riverside County Bar Association and the Superior Court, sponsor the competitions annually. The county began holding student-level mock trials in 1983. More than 14,000 youths have participated since then, organizers said.
This year’s contest will challenge participants to successfully argue the fictitious case of People v. Gold, involving an alleged kidnapping amid a heated local political race in the make-believe community of Emerald Bend, California. The defendant, Logan Gold, is accused of abducting his wife’s rival candidate in a city council election to ensure the victim never showed for a scheduled debate.
Students will be tasked with analyzing forensic evidence, admissibility of statements, possible due process infringements and other matters during the trials.
Teams consisting of eight to 25 students will play the parts of deputy district attorneys, defense attorneys, bailiffs, witnesses, clerks and investigators. Contestants are given an allotted time, generally four to six minutes at each stage of a proceeding, including opening and closing statements and cross-examinations.
Practicing attorneys and judges assess students’ performance, awarding points in accordance with criteria established for the contest.
Students from public and private high schools may take part.
The 2025 championship team will represent the county in the California Mock Trial Competition, tentatively scheduled March 14-16 in Los Angeles.
Poly High School in Riverside won the county’s 2024 contest.