Sacramento Superior Court will host the 46th annual Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Mock Trial Competition, which kicks off tomorrow.

More than 517 students from 24 schools in Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado, and Yuba counties will participate in the five-day event coordinated by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE).

"The Sacramento County Office of Education is thankful to partner with the Sacramento Superior Court to host the 2025 High School Mock Trial,” said Craig Irish, coordinator of student events and competitions for SCOE. “This unique collaboration underscores our shared dedication to help students learn about our legal system and civic engagement."

Approximately 115 attorneys and judges from local law firms and other legal organizations will serve as scoring and presiding judges. Sacramento Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Lawrence G. Brown, and Judges James P. Arguelles, Joseph M. Cress, Brenda R. Dabney, Joginder S. Dhillon, Jeffrey Galvin, Amy Holliday, Kenneth C. Mennemeier, Peter K. Southworth, Kara K. Ueda, Allison Zuvela and Sacramento Superior Court Commissioners Scott P. Harman, Heath T. Langle and Martin E. Tejeda are among this year’s volunteers.

Preliminary, quarterfinal, and semi-final rounds are scheduled for Jan. 28, 30, Feb. 4, 6, and 8 at the Gordon D. Schaber County Courthouse in downtown Sacramento.

Mock Trial simulates a trial-level proceeding in which students portray the roles of pretrial counsel, prosecuting and defense attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, bailiffs, and jurors before a single presiding judge and two scoring judges. 

"The Sacramento Superior Court always looks forward to participating in the annual mock trial competition,” Presiding Judge Bunmi Awoniyi said. “It's an excellent opportunity for young people to learn about the legal system and hopefully inspire some students to pursue careers in the legal field."

 Participating students experience working in teams, exchanging ideas, setting goals, and examining issues while interacting with role models from their communities. Students develop presentation skills, analytic ability, and team cooperation by studying the case and preparing strategies and arguments for trial. A typical Mock Trial team consists of eight to 20 students.

This event is not open to the public.