Riverside’s Notre Dame High Wins 2022 Riverside County Mock Trial – Press Enterprise

Notre Dame High School in Riverside has won its first mock trial crown.

After seven rounds of virtual competition, the Catholic School team emerged as champions of the 2022 Riverside County Mock Trial Competition on Saturday, Feb. 26, according to a press release from the Riverside County Office of Education. Notre Dame will now compete in the California Mock Trial Competition.

To win the district title, Notre Dame defeated Riverside’s Poly High School, which has been a sham trial powerhouse for years. In the semi-final round, Poly surpassed the 2021 champions, Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, the publication said. This year’s competition, which was again organized by the district school board, had 22 teams.

The 2022 California State Mock Trial Championship will also be virtual and will be held from Thursday, March 17 through Sunday, March 20.

In mock trials, students argue before real judges, with real lawyers conducting the competitions. High school teams have up to 25 students who play the roles of defense attorneys and prosecutors, witnesses, and clerks.

This year’s mock trial students used the fictional case People v. Cobey, a case of murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Poly has won the Riverside County Mock Trial eight times since 2011, the press release said.