Play-by-Play: Mock Trial Makes Finals

Teah Swartzon and Grant Li

LI: We’re here at the scene of the crime, the Orange County Superior Courthouse right in the heart of Santa Ana. Usually filled with buzzing lawyers and white-collar crime, today all eyes are on two schools and their entourages: home team Orange County School of the Arts, and returning visitors El Dorado High School.

SWARTZON: It’s the final round of a months-long slugfest between all the teams in Orange County. OCSA’s Blue team is the only undefeated competitor this season, and they’re anxious to sweep the county and move on to bigger fish at state.

LI: Dozens of students, coaches, parents, and other well-wishers gather into the courtroom. All rise for the judge, and the room goes silent. Up to bat first: Reagan Mading, OCSA’s pre-trial attorney. She’s here to deliver a rousing opening speech, laying the foundation for the entire trial.

SWARTZON: Her bright pink tumbler makes quite the statement at the attorney table.

LI: And we’re off! Mading’s performance is classic: clear, enunciated, going five…words…a minute. This is an excellent strategy—the scorers tend to be a little slow.

SWARTZON: We’re moving on to case statements now, and—what’s this? There’s a time discrepancy between the two schools’ timekeepers?

LI: Things might get ugly, folks. This is the kind of drama you can only get at Mock Trial competitions.

SWARTZON: The judge has settled things and both sides have put down their pitchforks, but that was a close call.

LI: Phew. Nearly avoided disaster there. 

SWARTZON: OCSA’s prosecution attorneys are now interrogating the witnesses of each side. 

LI: This is where things really start heating up, people: attorneys can object to anything the opposing party says (as seen in hit game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, based on the Mock Trial competition).

SWARTZON: Objection from OCSA! Prosecution attorney Toby Izenberg interrupts El Dorado’s witness as she answers a yes-or-no question with the entire backstory of her character. “Your honor, the witness has launched into a narrative.”

LI: El Dorado looks flustered, starts again shakily and—what’s this? He interjects again! “Your honor, the witness has, once again, launched into a narrative”.

SWARTZON: El Dorado’s witness looks like she wants to bite someone’s face off.

LI: Masterful move by Izenberg there, unnerving the opposition while cutting into their time. We’ll have to see—he objects again! “Launched into a narrative”!

SWARTZON: The whole room is laughing now! The judge upholds the objection! Izenberg sits down, looking very pleased with himself.

LI:  Cross-examination is over, and thankfully so is that “launching into a narrative” debacle. The attorneys have now instead launched into a passionate argument about the definition of the word “flustered.” Swartzon launches passionately into her AP Econ homework.

SWARTZON: Shh, shut up—the round is over and the room has gone quiet. Now comes the 20-minute wait for the scorers and judge to make a decision.

LI: Everybody’s waiting with bated breath. You can hear a criminal charge drop.

SWARTZON: The decision’s being delivered to the judge in an envelope… she’s opening it with agonizing slowness…And the verdict is… GUILTY! OCSA PROSECUTION HAS WON!

LI: Tears are flying, people are running all over. 

SWARTZON: Defense lead Charlotte Brandman (MT ‘23)— “I’m so amazed, so proud…I feel like this is the best revenge I’ve gotten ever.” 

LI: Michael Ciecek, OCSA’s principal—“It starts with the students having the right leadership: Ms. Coates, Ms. Harper, and all of the attorney coaches.”

SWARTZON: Coach Whitney Coates—“We can do anything. We’re that good.”

LI: After watching three of these trials, I’d have to agree. You have to have a lot of admiration for Mock Trial, both the event and team. It’s a beautiful, self-important performance full of passion and “confergy”—there’s no better way to represent our school on the county, state, and national stage.