National High School Mock Trial Championship

The National High School Mock Trial Championship is an American nationwide competition of high school mock trial teams. Hundreds, and even thousands of teams participate in district, regional, and state tournaments to select one champion team to represent each of the 50 states. The competition debuted in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with teams representing Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.[1]

Iowa has been the most successful state in the competition, setting a record in 2023 with its fifth national championship. Georgia has earned the title four times, while Washington State and Tennessee have each won the national championship three times. California, New Jersey, South Carolina, Indiana, New Mexico, and Arizona have all won twice.

Winners

Past winners and runners-up of the competition include the following schools:[2]

Year Host City Winner Second Place
1984 Des Moines, Iowa Nebraska - Ogallala High School Minnesota - Cloquet High School
1985 Lincoln, Nebraska Texas - Richard King High School unknown
1986 Phoenix, Arizona Iowa - Lincoln High School Wisconsin - Superior High School
1987 Washington, D.C. Arizona - Xavier College Preparatory Iowa - Marshalltown High School
1988 Dallas, Texas South Carolina - Socastee High School Texas - Westlake High School
1989 Louisville, Kentucky Wisconsin - Rhinelander High School California - John Marshall High School[3][4]
1990 Portland, Oregon Colorado - Evergreen High School Ohio - Shaw High School
1991 New Orleans, Louisiana New Jersey - Bergen Catholic High School Texas - Richard King High School
1992 Madison, Wisconsin Ohio - Shaw High School Texas - Richard King High School
1993 Atlanta, Georgia Mississippi - South Pike High School Ohio - Shaw High School
1994 Chicago, Illinois California - Arlington High School Rhode Island - Classical High School
1995 Denver, Colorado Georgia - South Gwinnett High School Delaware - St. Mark's High School
1996 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Michigan - Kalamazoo Central High School Arizona - Deer Valley High School
1997 Nashville, Tennessee Arizona - Deer Valley High School Tennessee - Clinton High School, Tennessee
1998 Albuquerque, New Mexico New Jersey - Cherry Hill High School East Guam - Southern High School
1999 St. Louis, Missouri Georgia - Clarke Central High School Colorado - Regis Jesuit High School
2000 Columbia, South Carolina Washington - Franklin High School North Carolina - Asheboro High School
2001 Omaha, Nebraska Iowa - Pocahontas High School New Jersey - Montclair High School
2002 St. Paul, Minnesota Tennessee - Family Christian Academy Homeschoolers Pennsylvania - Quigley Catholic High School
2003 New Orleans, Louisiana Tennessee - Family Christian Academy Homeschoolers Colorado - Glenwood Springs High School
2004 Orlando, Florida South Carolina - Bob Jones Academy Wisconsin - Rhinelander High School
2005 Charlotte, North Carolina California - Tamalpais High School Hawaii - Kauai High School
2006 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Iowa - Valley High School Michigan - Kalamazoo Central High School
2007 Dallas, Texas Georgia - Jonesboro High School Michigan - Kalamazoo Central High School
2008 Wilmington, Delaware Georgia - Jonesboro High School Michigan - Kalamazoo Central High School
2009 Atlanta, Georgia Indiana - John Adams High School Minnesota - Lakeville North High School
2010 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Minnesota - Breck School Illinois - Hinsdale Central High School
2011 Phoenix, Arizona Indiana - John Adams High School Missouri - MICDS
2012 Albuquerque, New Mexico New Mexico - Albuquerque Academy Georgia - Henry W. Grady High School
2013 Indianapolis, Indiana New Mexico - Albuquerque Academy California - La Reina High School
2014 Madison, Wisconsin Washington - Seattle Preparatory School South Carolina - North Myrtle Beach High School
2015 Raleigh, North Carolina Nebraska - Duchesne Academy Georgia - Northview High School
2016 Boise, Idaho Iowa - Marion Home School Assistance Program Nebraska - Duchesne Academy
2017 Hartford, Connecticut North Carolina - Central Carolina Homeschoolers Michigan - Kalamazoo Central High School
2018 Reno, Nevada Washington - Franklin High School Minnesota - Nova Classical Academy
2019 Athens, Georgia Tennessee - Agathos Classical School Nebraska - Creighton Preparatory School
2021 Evansville, Indiana* Maryland - The Park School of Baltimore Iowa - Iowa City High School
2022 Kalamazoo, Michigan* Kentucky - Montgomery County High School Georgia - Northview High School
2023 Little Rock, Arkansas Iowa - Ankeny High School New Mexico - Albuquerque Academy
2024 Wilmington, Delaware TBD TBD

*The 2021 and 2022 NHSMTC were held virtually over Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Controversy

2005

The Torah Academy of Bergen County from Teaneck, New Jersey had won its state's 2005 competition, but faced difficulties in its ultimately successful effort to gain accommodations to participate in the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina without being required to compete during the Jewish Sabbath.[5]

The American Mock Trial Invitational was created in 2006 by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers as an alternative competition to address concerns of religious commitments by competing school teams.[6][5]

2009

Maimonides School of Brookline, Massachusetts won the 2009 Massachusetts state championship and desired to participate in the national championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Due to religious dietary restrictions and Shabbat observance the school asked for accommodation in order to participate without violating their religious beliefs. The school asked for two trials to be changed from Saturday to Thursday or Friday in order to avoid violating Shabbat. In response the school obtained attorney Nathan Lewin to represent the school. Lewin filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice alleging religious discrimination and a violation of civil rights.[7] Attorney Elizabeth Price resigned from the Georgia State Bar in protest over the National Board refusing to grant the requests for accommodation.[8] The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter of protest to the National Board complaining against the lack of reasonable accommodation, asking the National Board not to punish children for their religious beliefs.[9] The United States Congress condemned the National Board for failing to provide for these accommodations.[10] On May 7, 2009, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Doris Downs ruled that unless the competition would accommodate the Orthodox Jewish students, then the courthouse would not be allowed to be used for the competition.[11][8][12]

References
  1. About the Competition, National High School Mock Trial Championship. Accessed July 1, 2007.
  2. Participant History & Past National Winners, National High School Mock Trial Championship. Accessed July 1, 2007.
  3. "Rhinelander Students Top Mock Trial Competition". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 15, 1989. pp. 2B Metro. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  4. "Previous Results". Constitutional Rights Foundation. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  5. Aberback, Brian. " New mock trial contest arises from controversy", The Record (Bergen County), February 24, 2006, accessed April 19, 2007.
  6. American Mock Trial Invitational, accessed April 19, 2007. Archived February 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Brown, Robbie (May 6, 2009). "National Mock Trial Competition Encounters a Real Legal Challenge". The New York Times.
  8. "Georgia: Resignation Over Trial Contest". The New York Times. May 7, 2009.
  9. "Mock Trial Association Relents: Jewish School Wins Full Participation In Competition". www.adl.org. Archived from the original on 2009-05-11.
  10. "The Cutting Edge News".
  11. "FOX 5 Atlanta". 16 December 2021.
  12. "Maimonides School: News & Events". www.maimonides.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09.
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