For immediate release
March 3, 2008 |
Contact:
Dave Walters,
SCCOE
(408) 453-6859 |
Palo Alto Team Wins Mock Trial Event
SAN JOSE, CA – A team from Palo Alto High School is headed to the state
mock trial championship, after winning the 2008 Santa Clara County Mock Trial
competition.
Palo Alto defeated a team from Prospect High in the Campbell Union High
School District in the finals Thursday, Feb. 28 at the Santa Clara County Office
of Education. A Palo Alto team also won the event last year.
Representatives from 24 public and private high schools in Santa Clara County
participated in Mock Trial, which is a collaboration between the SCCOE and the
Santa Clara County Bar Association. Each team participated in at least four
rounds.
In Mock Trial, a criminal court case is put together that would be of
interest to high school students. The case requires interpretation of facts and
relevant case law, the ability to understand difficult reading passages, and a
little acting ability. Students get the opportunity to act as lawyers,
witnesses, bailiff, or time-keepers for the event.
This year's case, People v. Palmer, was about the murder of a Hollywood
producer and director of a fictional show, "Cardiac Arrest." Mock Trial is
created by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles, which writes the
case.
Judges and attorneys volunteer their time. The presiding judge for this
year’s final competition was Justice Nathan Mihara. Scoring
attorneys for the final round were Dolores Carr, Santa Clara District Attorney;
Mike Groves, San Jose City Attorney’s Office; David Epps, Santa Clara County
Alternative Public Defender; Mary Greenwood, Santa Clara County Public Defender;
Pat Kelly, Legal Aid Society; and Ann Ravel, Santa Clara County Counsel.
The state competition will be held at the Riverside Court on March 28-30,
2008.
Date last updated: March 3, 2008
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