Several days of intense courtroom competition and careful deliberations by esteemed judges culminated in the announcement of the winner of the 2023 Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Mock Trial Competition at an evening awards ceremony on February 15. This year’s champion is Sacramento Country Day School.
Twenty high school teams from across the region competed, including one from El Dorado County, two from Yolo County, and one from Yuba County. Sacramento Country Day School advances to the California Mock Trial Competition, which will be held March 17–19 in Los Angeles. Elk Grove High School placed second, followed by Del Campo High School. Natomas Pacific Pathways Charter School was fourth.
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) coordinates the competition and recognized the competitors with medals and plaques at the awards ceremony, held in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria downtown.
The Mock Trial Competition simulates a trial-level proceeding in which students portray the roles of pre-trial counsel, prosecuting and defense attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, bailiffs, and jurors before a single presiding judge and two scoring judges. Volunteers from local law firms and other legal organizations served as scoring and presiding judges for the five-day event.
- Sacramento County Mock Trial Champions—historical list of winning teams
Team Scores
Sacramento County
- 1st Place: Sacramento Country Day School (Private School)
- 2nd Place: Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove USD)
- 3rd Place: Del Campo High School (San Juan USD)
- 4th Place: Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep High School (Natomas USD)
- 5th Place: Jesuit High School (Diocese of Sacramento)
- 6th Place: St. Francis High School (Diocese of Sacramento)
- 7th Place: Rio Americano High School (San Juan USD)
- 8th Place: Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove USD)
Yolo County
- 1st Place: Da Vinci Charter Academy
El Dorado County
- 1st Place: Ponderosa High School
About Gordon D. Schaber (1927–1997)
Gordon D. Schaber was a respected local attorney, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge, and the dean of McGeorge School of Law. While at McGeorge, Schaber developed an innovative education program called Moot Court, simulating an appellate-level court proceeding where students argue a case before a panel of three judges. Schaber was also known for his involvement with Mock Trial, both as a coach and a supporter. He became the director of the California Mock Trial Program in the late 1980s, serving for more than a decade. His contributions were recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the American Bar Association’s National Law-Related Education Award. The Sacramento Superior Court Building (the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse) is named in his honor.
About the State Mock Trial Competition
California’s Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America’s young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.