The Pennsylvania Mock Trial Competition is a high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 Mock Trial

Mock trial

A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...

 competition in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association

Bar association

A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...

 Young Lawyers Division. The winning school of the state finals advances to the National High School Mock Trial Championship

National High School Mock Trial Championship

The National High School Mock Trial Championship is an American nationwide competition of high school mock trial teams. The competition debuted in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with teams representing Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin....

. The type of case for the statewide competition alternates between civil and criminal each year; 2012 will be a criminal case.

Opening Statements

A trial starts with a 5-minute opening statement by the Plaintiff

Plaintiff

A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...

/Prosecution (depending on whether the case is civil

Civil law (common law)

Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

 or criminal

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

, respectively), which is immediately followed by a 5-minute opening statement by the defense.

Witness Testimony

After opening statements, the plaintiff/prosecution calls its first witness

Witness

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...

. The plaintiff/prosecution conducts a direct examination

Direct examination

The Direct Examination or Examination-in-Chief is one stage in the process of adducing evidence from witnesses in a court of law. Direct examination is the questioning of a witness by the party who called him or her, in a trial...

 of the witness, and then defense conducts a cross examination of the same witness. After cross examination, plaintiff/prosecution has the opportunity to conduct a redirect examination

Redirect examination

Redirect examination is the trial process by which the party who offered the witness has a chance to explain or otherwise qualify any damaging or accusing testimony brought out by the opponent during cross-examination...

 of the witness. If they do, defense is given the chance to recross the witness. After either all four types of exams have been conducted or one party abstains from doing redirect or recross respectively, the witness steps down from the stand. This process is then repeated for two more plaintiff/prosecution witnesses. With the conclusion of testimony from the third plaintiff witness, the plaintiff rests. Defense then calls three witnesses in the same manner described above for the plaintiff/prosecution.

Each team has 26 minutes for witness testimony, including all direct, cross, redirect, and recross examinations conducted by counsel of that team. (The clock does stop, however, for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, objections

Objection (law)

In the law of the United States of America, an objection is a formal protest raised in court during a trial to disallow a witness's testimony or other evidence which would be in violation of the rules of evidence or other procedural law...

 and parts of the process for entering exhibits

Exhibit (Legal)

An exhibit, in a criminal prosecution or a civil trial, is physical or documentary evidence brought before the jury. The artifact or document itself is presented for the jury's inspection...

.)

Closing Arguments

Once the third defense witness has finished giving testimony, the defense gives its closing argument

Closing argument

A closing argument, summation, or summing up is the concluding statement of each party's counsel reiterating the important arguments for the trier of fact, often the jury, in a court case. A closing argument occurs after the presentation of evidence...

. Like opening statements, closing arguments are limited to 5 minutes a piece. After defense closes, plaintiff/prosecution gives its closing statement. Barring any disputes being raised, this marks the conclusion of the trial, and the jury

Jury

A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...

 is dismissed to tally points.

Scoring & Winner

Each member of the jury scores each part of the trial based on specific scoring categories, such as the flow of a direct examination or the effectiveness of a cross examination. Each opening statement or closing argument is worth a maximum of 10 points. Each direct or cross examination is also worth, at most, 10 points. Each witness can earn a maximum of 10 points independent of any other points from direct examination. There are two team evaluation categories scored at the end of trial, each valued at a maximum of 5 points. Therefore, each team can earn up to 120 points during the trial.

On any juror's ballot, the team with more points is the winner of that scoresheet. Each juror indicates which team he/she would choose to win if the points of the scoresheet, after any penalties are assessed, adds up to a tie. Each scoresheet is worth one vote. Whichever team receives more votes is declared the winner of the trial. If there is an even number of jurors and they have a split decision, the team with more total points on all of the scoresheets is the winner.

Past Winners

Year	Winner	Place at Nationals	Runner-Up
1987	Central Cambria High School Central Cambria School District The Central Cambria School District is a school district covering Ebensburg Boro, Cambria Township, and Jackson Township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.- Elementary Schools :...
1988	Bensalem High School Bensalem High School Bensalem High School is a public high school in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.- Original Building :Planning for the original Bensalem Township High School began in 1920 with the acquisition of land adjoining the school property known as the Cornwells Heights Elementary School, at 2400 Bristol Pike. A...
1989	Bensalem High School Bensalem High School Bensalem High School is a public high school in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.- Original Building :Planning for the original Bensalem Township High School began in 1920 with the acquisition of land adjoining the school property known as the Cornwells Heights Elementary School, at 2400 Bristol Pike. A...
1990	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...
1991	Scranton Preparatory High School Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a Catholic and Jesuit college preparatory day school for boys and girls. The current enrollment is 860 students. Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools...
1992	Norristown Area High School Norristown Area School District Norristown Area School District is located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The school district serves the borough of Norristown, East Norriton Township, and West Norriton Township municipalities in central Montgomery County, just north-west of Philadelphia. The district is...
1993	North Pocono Area High School North Pocono High School The North Pocono High School is located on Bochicchio Blvd in Covington Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The school was built in 2009. It is the only high school in the North Pocono School District, which covers a vast amount of territory in Northeast Pennsylvania, including parts of...
1994	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...
1995	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...
1996	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...
1997	Overbrook High School Overbrook High School (Philadelphia) Overbrook High School is an inner-city, public, four-year secondary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-School:...
1998	Punxsutawney Area High School Punxsutawney Area School District Punxsutawney Area School District is a school district located in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania and Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The district features six elementary schools plus a middle school, and the Punxsutawney Area High School...
1999	Julia R. Masterman High School
2000	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...	21	Mount Saint Joseph Academy Mount Saint Joseph Academy (Flourtown, Pennsylvania) Mount Saint Joseph Academy, commonly called The Mount, in Flourtown, Pennsylvania is a Philadelphia-area all-female, catholic, college preparatory school. It was founded in 1858 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The academy was originally located in Philadelphia on the grounds of what is now...
2001	Greensburg-Salem High School Greensburg-Salem School District Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The City of Greensburg as well as South Greensburg Boro, Southwest Greensburg Boro, and Salem Township are within district boundaries.-Schools:...	18	Devon Preparatory High School Devon Preparatory School Devon Preparatory School is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in Devon, Pennsylvania, founded in 1956 by the Piarist fathers. It is an all-boys school, divided into a middle school and an upper school , both located on the same campus of...
2002	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...	2	Gateway High School
2003	Gateway High School	22	Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School Quigley Catholic High School is located in Baden, Pennsylvania. It is the only Roman Catholic high school in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The school opened in 1967 and is named for Monsignor Thomas J. Quigley, who was superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh until...
2004	Overbrook High School Overbrook High School (Philadelphia) Overbrook High School is an inner-city, public, four-year secondary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-School:...	32	Oliver High School Oliver High School David B. Oliver High School, commonly known as Oliver High School, is a public school in the Northside area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Oliver is one of ten high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools....
2005	Greensburg-Salem High School Greensburg-Salem School District Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The City of Greensburg as well as South Greensburg Boro, Southwest Greensburg Boro, and Salem Township are within district boundaries.-Schools:...	12	Scranton Preparatory High School Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a Catholic and Jesuit college preparatory day school for boys and girls. The current enrollment is 860 students. Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools...
2006	Greensburg-Salem High School Greensburg-Salem School District Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The City of Greensburg as well as South Greensburg Boro, Southwest Greensburg Boro, and Salem Township are within district boundaries.-Schools:...	4	Julia R. Masterman High School
2007	Greensburg-Salem High School Greensburg-Salem School District Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The City of Greensburg as well as South Greensburg Boro, Southwest Greensburg Boro, and Salem Township are within district boundaries.-Schools:...	14	Scranton Preparatory High School Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a Catholic and Jesuit college preparatory day school for boys and girls. The current enrollment is 860 students. Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools...
2008	Overbrook High School Overbrook High School (Philadelphia) Overbrook High School is an inner-city, public, four-year secondary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-School:...	15	Greensburg-Salem High School Greensburg-Salem School District Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The City of Greensburg as well as South Greensburg Boro, Southwest Greensburg Boro, and Salem Township are within district boundaries.-Schools:...
2009	Central High School Central High School (Martinsburg, Pennsylvania) Central High School in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania is the smallest of the three Central High Schools in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania with 674 students in four grades...	10	Overbrook High School Overbrook High School (Philadelphia) Overbrook High School is an inner-city, public, four-year secondary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-School:...
2010	Scranton Preparatory High School Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a Catholic and Jesuit college preparatory day school for boys and girls. The current enrollment is 860 students. Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools...	10	B. Reed Henderson High School
2011	Wyoming Seminary High School Wyoming Seminary Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844 and currently led by President Kip P. Nygren, is a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Kingston and Forty Fort It is near the Susquehanna River and the city of Wilkes-Barre...		St. Joseph's Preparatory School

External links

• Pennsylvania High School Mock Trial