An imaginary case involving self-driving vehicle technology, civic activism and a murder has drawn hundreds of local high school students into courtrooms for the 14th Annual San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition. The annual event, sponsored by the San Diego Superior Court, the San Diego County Bar Association, and Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), is a program that gives students hands-on experience in learning about the law and the Constitution. This year’s pretrial issue involves the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. There is a question of whether a detective’s search during a murder investigation was constitutional and a ruling on the constitutionality impacts whether or not the evidence is allowed in trial. More than 600 San Diego County high school students are participating in this year’s event which is held at the downtown Central Courthouse. 32 San Diego County high schools have fielded 34 teams during the four-day competition which involves four rounds of trials. The first three rounds were held on February 5, 11 and 19, and the final round will be held on February 22. The local winner will advance to and represent San Diego County in the Statewide Mock Trial Competition next month. (MORE) Superior Court of California, County of San Diego NEWS RELEASE Page 2 of 4 2/20/2020 The Mock Trial competition places high school students in real courtroom settings before actual state and federal judges. In those courtrooms, the students assume the roles of lawyers, witnesses, clerks, and bailiffs facing off on a hypothetical case. The annual Mock Trial Competition is a premier civic education and legal event. State and federal judges donate their time during the trials and attorneys from different practice areas throughout the County donate many hours coaching the high school students and/or serving as scorers during the competition. Although the mock trials are not open to the general public, school teachers and students wishing to learn more about the program may attend the final and championship rounds of the competition, provided they obtain permission in advance by emailing [email protected].

MOCK TRIAL FINALS – TIMES

Final Round                       Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Awards Ceremony          Saturday, February 22, 2020, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Championship Round       Saturday, February 22, 2020, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.