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Mira Loma H.S. Team Wins 2019 Moot Court Competition

High School Students Argue Fictional Case Before Local Judges

First and second place teams posing with judges

Mira Loma High School Moot Court Teams 1 and 4 (first and second place) with the three judges.

Posted February 28, 2019

Over the past month, high school student attorneys have been raising serious legal questions in court. Did a school interfere with the rights of students to organize and participate in a demonstration at school? Did an administrator unlawfully search a student’s backpack? Did a school security officer’s use of force violate a student’s rights under the Fourth Amendment?

After extensive deliberation, a panel of judges hearing a fictional case (Rouser, et al. v. Spression Unified School District and Phoe Bidder) ruled last night that the attorneys for Mira Loma High School (Team 1) made the most convincing arguments, winning the 40th annual Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Moot Court Competition. Mira Loma High School (Team 4) placed second.

Third District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Vance W. Raye, along with Justices Ronald B. Robie and Elena J. Duarte, presided over the final round, held at the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building in downtown Sacramento.

2019 Sacramento County Moot Court Competition Results

  • 1st Place: Mira Loma High School (Team 1) (San Juan Unified)
  • 2nd Place: Mira Loma High School (Team 4) (San Juan Unified)
  • 3rd Place: Rio Americano High School (San Juan Unified)
  • 4th Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan Unified)

About Moot Court

The Moot Court Competition is an appellate-level proceeding in which high school students prepare and argue a case before a three-judge panel. Judges evaluate participants on the quality and persuasiveness of their legal reasoning and presentation, and their unscripted responses to spontaneous questions from the bench. The competition provides students the opportunity to learn about constitutional law and develop crucial public speaking and debate skills. A typical Moot Court team consists of three to six students.

Moot Court is sponsored by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) in an effort to educate young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.