Mock Trials
RIVERSIDE – Students from two dozen high schools throughout Riverside County matched wits and executed their best legal maneuvering this week in the first round of the 44th annual Riverside County Mock Trials Competition.
The event started Thursday evening at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and the Riverside Hall of Justice, continuing until the final round, scheduled for Feb. 19.
Typically, the meets are not open to the general public, except by special permission of the Superior Court Executive Office or Office of Education.
The contest, which regularly draws about 400 students for the initial rounds, returned to in-person activities instead of virtual ones in 2023 after the public school system rescinded COVID-driven restrictions on gatherings that were in place in 2021 and 2022. 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. Fromholz,” involving an alleged retribution murder tied to outrage over the defendant’s treatment by a food critic who found the man’s cuisine unpalatable — and said so publicly.
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 2026 championship team will represent the county in the California Mock Trial Competition, tentatively scheduled for March 20-22 in Oakland. Poly High School in Riverside won the county’s 2025 contest, repeating on its victory in 2024.
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