More than two dozen local high schools will field 30 teams in the Ventura County Mock Trial competition, which begins Monday in Ventura. Courtroom drama comes to life as students take on the major roles of a criminal case, including attorneys, witnesses and even bailiffs. The students will present their cases before actual local judges who volunteer for the competition. Local attorneys serve as coaches.
WHAT: 2019 Ventura County Mock Trial
WHEN: The competition runs Monday, February 25 to Thursday, February 28. The Wednesday semi-finals and Thursday finals are open to the public. Competition begins each evening at 5:00 pm and is expected to conclude by 11:00 pm.
- Monday, February 25 – Rounds 1 and 2
- Tuesday, February 26 – Rounds 3 and 4
- Wednesday, February 27 – Semi-finals – OPEN TO PUBLIC
- Thursday, February 28 – Finals – OPEN TO PUBLIC
WHERE: Ventura County Superior Court - 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, California 93009
Awards Ceremony
The Mock Trial awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 4 at 6:00 pm at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center at 800 Hobson Way. The public is invited to attend.
About the 2019 Ventura County Mock Trial
The competition is coordinated annually by the Ventura County Office of Education. This year’s fictitious case is People v. Klein, which involves a defendant accused of making threats on social media and making a false report of an emergency to police.
High schools participating this year are: Adolfo Camarillo High School, Agoura High School, Buena High School, Calabasas High School, Channel Islands High School, Fillmore High School, Grace Brethren Jr/Sr High School, La Reina High School, Newbury Park High School, Nordhoff High School, Oak Park High School, Oaks Christian School, Oxnard High School, Rio Mesa, Royal High School, Saint Bonaventure High School, Santa Paula High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, St. Augustine Academy, Thousand Oaks High School, Trinity Pacific Christian School, Ventura High School, Villanova Preparatory School and Westlake High School.
The winner of the county competition will go on to the state mock trial contest March 22-24 in Sacramento. Ventura County has taken first place at the state level in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
This year’s Ventura County Mock Trial logo artwork was created by Alexandra Clark from La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks.
Additional information about the 2019 Ventura County Mock Trial is available at vcoe.org/mocktrial.