The winner of the 2002 mock trial competition is
Cape Elizabeth High School.

Congratulations!

The Maine State High School Mock Trial Competition is run every year in the fall. In 2002 twenty-six teams competed, involving more that 400 students statewide. The competition was sponsored by the Maine State Bar Association. 

Teams are given the fictional "case" in early September. The case consists of a set of undisputed facts, six witness statements (three for each side), and legal authorities. In addition, the case materials include rules of evidence. The teams are assisted in their preparation by a teacher coach from the school, and volunteer attorney coaches from the communities. 

The case topic can be either civil or criminal. Ordinarily, the topic is selected because it is relevant in the lives of today's high school students. For example, in 1996, the issue was whether a school district could be held liable for the death of an athlete who took anabolic steroids. The 2001 case involved an alleged date rape on a fictional college campus. The 2002 case involved a college fraternity hazing incident, which resulted in the death of a pledge. The pledge-master of the fraternity was tried for manslaughter.

The teams try their cases in actual courtrooms, usually before a real judge and a panel of two attorney-evaluators. The trials are not scripted. Teams win or lose based on their presentations, not the merits of the case. 

The annual Maine State High School Mock Trial Competition enjoys a tremendous level of volunteer support from the bench and bar. This support illustrates the members' strong belief in the program as an educational vehicle, which introduces students to the judicial system in a unique way, inculcates democratic values, and requires students to develop analytic skills and confidence in public-speaking. 

Schools that wish to inquire about the program can e-mail the mock trial coordinator by clicking here:  underwd@usm.maine.edu