Finals General Information

GENERAL COMPETITION INFORMATION

GENERAL COMPETITION INFORMATION | TEAM INFORMATION | COUNTY COORDINATOR INFORMATION

Welcome to CRF’s 31st Annual California Mock Trial Finals, Sacramento, March 23-25, 2012. The Mock Trial Program is coordinated by Constitutional Rights Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation that has developed law and business-related educational programs in Los Angeles for 50 years. The program is co-sponsored by the Daily Journal Corporation, The Lincy Foundation, and Lisa Sardegna and David Carrillo.

AGENDA

Each team member should download the agenda for details regarding the weekend events.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Team Registration/ Orientation/ Teacher Meeting

Team registration, orientation and teacher meeting, will occur on the first day of the competition weekend, Friday, March 25. Team registration will take place from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Camellia. At least one adult member from each team is required to check-in.

The competition orientation will take place at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Camellia from 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. All participants must attend the orientation and all teachers must attend the teacher meeting immediately following the orientation.

Student Dance/Pin Exchange/Finalist Announcement

The dance will take place at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Camellia on Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The door will be open after the dance for teachers, coaches, and parents to hear the finalist announcement. At least one team member from each county must be present at the time of the announcement. Immediately following the announcement, there will be a brief meeting for the two finalists.

We recommend that coordinators or schools contact their local county protocol office, their city’s chamber of commerce, or the winning team’s school for pin donations. This should be as simple as a phone call and a fax about the program. Students will be able to exchange these pins all weekend, including at the dance on Saturday night.

Artist Dinner

On Friday, March 23, from 5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m., there is a dinner meeting for all registered courtroom artists. This meeting will give the courtroom artist a chance to meet other artists, learn about courtroom art as a profession, and get feedback. This meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel-Meginnis.

The official courtroom artist round (Round 2) will begin at 8:30 a.m. IT IS MANDATORY THAT ALL ENTRIES MUST BE DONE IN COLOR AND BE ON 11"X 14" PAPER. If you will be using charcoal pencils, please use some type of spray sealer to reduce smudging. This change is for State Finals only, and has made per the request of the professional courtroom artist who conducts the artist seminar and selects the winning entries. First, second and third place plaques will be awarded at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 25 at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Camellia.

Please go to the Courtroom Artist Contest section for additional important information.

Journalist Dinner

On Friday, March 23, from 5:00 p. m.–7:30 p.m., there is a dinner meeting for all registered courtroom journalists. This meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Royal. During this seminar, students will interact with other courtroom journalists and learn tips on how to become a better reporter and writer from a professional journalist.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE BASED ON WHAT STUDENTS WITNESS AT THE STATE FINALS AND CANNOT BE WRITTEN PRIOR TO THE EVENT. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE TYPED AND TURNED IN ELECTRONICALLY TO CRF STAFF BY 5:00 P.M. ON MARCH 24. CRF STALL WILL BE LOCATED IN THE JUROR ASSEMBLY ROOM OF THE COURTHOUSE. SUBMISSION MAY ALSO BE E.MAILED TO This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BY 5:00 P.M.

A professional journalist will judge all entries with first, second and third place plaques awarded to at the Awards Ceremony March 25 at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Garrdenia.

Please go to the Courtroom Journalist Contest section for additional important information.

Awards Ceremony

The Awards Ceremony will take place at the Sheraton Grant Hotel-Magnolia/Gardenia on Sunday, March 25 from 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. Seating at the Awards Ceremony is open.

Plaques and medals will be awarded to the top eight teams in California, with the first place team receiving the James A. Cobey perpetual trophy. In addition, Outstanding Attorney, Outstanding Witness, Outstanding Clerk and Outstanding Bailiff awards will be given to students who exhibit exceptional ability as noted by the judges and scoring attorneys. The J. Skelly Wright plaques will be given to the Best Defense Pretrial Motion Attorney and the Best Prosecution Pretrial Motion Attorney. Lastly, plaques will be awarded to the 1st–3rd place courtroom artists and journalists. After the event, every student will receive a certificate of participation in the California Mock Trial Finals.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Airport

The closest airport to the official mock trial hotel is the Sacramento International Airport.

Hotel

The official California Mock Trial Hotel will be the Sheraton Grand Sacramento, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. The rate is $110.00 a night for singles/doubles/triples or quads (four people per room). Room tax will be added to the discounted rates.

To ensure that our room block is sufficiently and efficiently filled, we strongly recommend that all participants stay at the main hotel or next year it will be a requirement. All guests shall make reservations directly with the hotel on an individual basis identifying themselves as members of the CRF's California Mock Trial State Finals.

Make your reservations at the Sheraton Grand on or after Wednesday, February 8th. All reservations are first come first served and must be confirmed and guaranteed with a major credit card. If you have specific room requests or would like to make sure that your rooms are blocked within close proximity to each other, please e-mail those requests to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than March 14, 2012. The Hotel will make every attempt to accommodate your requests.

There are 3 options to make your room reservations:

Reserve online: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/CRFMockTrial
Call a Sheraton Grand representative: 1-800-325-3535
Email Mylene from the Sheraton Grand to receive a link to a rooming list: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In order to accommodate large groups of students and parents, this year there will NOT be a limit on the number of rooms a team may reserve. Please do not reserve more rooms than you know you will need! Overbooking can cause the organization to fall short of its room block, resulting in substantial penalties and possible increase in next year’s registration fees. The cut-off date for reservations is March 3rd. If you do need to cancel a previously made reservation, please let Sylvia know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can find a replacement.

Meals

Many other reasonably priced restaurants are also located around the hotel and the courthouse. We recommend that students bring $70.00-$90.00 for meals. We are working on a tight schedule, so be sure to plan your meals carefully. There is no eating in the courthouse.

Weather

The weather in Sacramento can be unpredictable this time of the year. Please bring an umbrella, jackets, hats, etc.

TRIALS

All trials will take place at the Sacramento Superior Courthouse. All teams will participate in four full rounds of competition. Round 1 will be held on Friday, March 23 and Rounds 2, 3 and 4 will be held on Saturday, March 24. The finals will be held on March 25. Please review the agenda carefully.

Each team will have the opportunity to present both prosecution and defense arguments at least once. The scoring structure will be exactly as it has been in the past, based on a team’s win/loss record and point percentages.

Each team is required to designate a person to serve as “Courtroom Observer” for all trials. The Observer’s responsibilities include: checking the status of the courtroom prior to and after each trial to ensure that all furniture and courtroom items are returned to their original position and condition; and watching for proper treatment of courtroom furniture and items by participants and spectators. It is NOT the responsibility of the courtroom observer to watch for rule or procedural violations. Each Observer must complete the official form distributed at the competition and return it to the trial presider after each trial. This individual can be a teacher, parent or student.

Scores will NOT be distributed until after the awards ceremony. In an effort to maintain optimism for all teams throughout the weekend, no team will learn whether they have won or lost a trial. Thus, no team will be discouraged from presenting its best efforts in each round. Round 1 assignments will be posted on the Mock Trail Facebook page and Twitter by 3:00p.m. March 16. Please go to www.crf-usa.org, click on mock trial and message board. You will have to register as a new user in order to access the message board and view your team’s assignments.

Pretrial Motion

It is mandatory for students to argue the pretrial motion before all rounds at State Finals.

Championship Trial

The Championship Trial will be held 9:00 a.m., March 25 at the TBA. Seating in this courtroom is limited and to ensure that all counties have the opportunity to send representatives to observe the trial, each team will receive a limited number of tickets. People with tickets will have priority for seats until 8:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., people will be seated first-come, first-served as space allows.

Trial Dates and Times
Round 1 – Friday, March 23, 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Round 2 – Saturday, March 24, 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Round 3 – Saturday, March 24, 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Round 4 – Saturday, March 24, 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m
Championship Trial – Sunday, March 25, 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m

IMPORTANT COURTHOUSE REMINDERS

*** Failure to follow any of the instructions below may disqualify your school from the competition

All students, family, and friends MUST be quiet while in the hallways as many courtrooms are still in session and are conducting official business.
Please respect the courtroom. Many judges and clerks no longer allow mock trial students to use their courtrooms as in the past, items have been moved and not replaced. To ensure that future mock trial students can utilize the courtrooms, please do not touch or take anything that does not belong to you.
You must leave the room in its original condition and ensure all furniture and courtroom items are replaced to their original positions (please do not adjust chair heights or disturb court papers). Each team must complete an observer form and return to the presider or to CRF immediately following each trial.
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES may you enter the judges’ chambers.
Please note that not every courtroom will have a jury box, podium or easel.
Please do not bring to the courthouse a change of clothing or extra pair of shoes, any swiss army knives, aerosol hairspray, scissors, knitting needles, metal finger files, screwdrivers, tools, wallet chains, handcuff keys, or any items that may be possibly used as a weapon.

VIOLATIONS OF THE ABOVE REMINDERS MAY BE GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION

National Mock Trial

The winner of the State finals will represent California at the 2012 National High School Mock Trial competition in Albuquerque, NM, May 2012.

MAPS

The hotel is an easy walk to the courthouse (approximately 10 minutes). Click here for an area map.

Adults and students should be aware of their surroundings at all times. When walking in the evening, please walk in groups.

EVENT ADDRESSES

Gordon B. Schaber County Courthouse, 720 9th Street, Sacramento, Ca 95814
Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, Ca 95814

Constitutional Rights Foundation, 601 S. Kinsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005,
213.316.2129, Fax. 213.386.0459

Mock Trial Staff: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.