High school mock trial teams from Reading, Georgetown, Walnut Hills, Turpin, North Adams, and Lockland have advanced from the local district mock trial competition to the regional mock trial competition that will be held in various locations around the state, including Batavia, on Feb. 20.

Clermont County hosted one of 25 district competitions on Jan. 30. Eighteen teams from 13 high schools competed. In addition to teams from the six high schools that will advance, there were teams from Amelia, Batavia, Eastern Brown, Fayetteville-Perry, Glen Este, Leaves of Learning, Mariemont, Seven Hills, and Western Brown.

The Ohio high school mock trial program helps students to develop critical thinking skills by analyzing a problem and developing arguments for each side of it. It also promotes citizenship education and active participation in democracy.

The 2015 Ohio high school mock trial case focuses on rights guaranteed under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In this year’s case, fictitious juvenile plaintiff Emerson Jones has filed suit against Buckeye Juvenile Correction Institution (BJCI). Emerson contends that BJCI exceeded the scope of proper use of force in containing a fight that broke out in the BCJI cafeteria, and that the BCJI medical staff provided an unacceptably low level of care in treating Emerson’s resulting injury.

Each mock trial team consists of 5 to 11 students who prepare both plaintiff and defense cases and participate in two trials against opposing teams.

Students assume the roles of witnesses and attorneys to present both sides of an original case based on a constitutional issue. Local judges and attorneys volunteer their time and expertise to preside over and score the mock trials.

The Ohio High School Mock Trial Program is Ohio’s largest high school academic competition and is among the largest high school mock trial programs in the nation.

Teams that are undefeated in the regional competition on Feb. 20 will advance to the state mock trial competition, which will be held March 12-14 in Columbus. One team will advance from the state competition to a national competition to be held May 14-16 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Ohio High School Mock Trial Program is sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE), a private non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system. OCLRE is sponsored by the Ohio State Bar Association, The Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation. The Ohio High School Mock Trial Program is made possible in part by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation.

The Clermont County district mock trial competition was sponsored by the Clermont County Common Pleas Court, the Clermont County Municipal Court, and the Clermont County Bar Association. Local funding is provided by the Clermont County Bar Association.

The Ohio mock trial program was begun in 1983-84 with 28 teams competing statewide. This year, more than 3,000 students competed in the district competitions.