The verdict is in, and the defendants, Northwestern High School Mock Trial Team, is off to the PBA Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 27 and 28 in Harrisburg. The team won the District 2, Region 2 Semifinal Round against Meadville High School, playing the defendants on Wednesday, February 26th, with Judge Erin Connelly Marucci presiding. The winner of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania at the national mock trial finals to be held May 6 - 9 in Evansville, Indiana.

This year’s hypothetical case, Addison Babbage v. Ruffed Grouse High School, LLC, is a civil case to determine whether the defendant is liable for failing to address cyberbullying at a private school.

The Erie County Bar Association would like to thank the numerous volunteers and staff for their time as committee members, judges, and jurors to make the event run smoothly.

Sponsored statewide by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the mock trial competition gives eight-member student teams the opportunity to argue both sides of a case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs, and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisors in preparing for competition. ECBA members volunteer to serve as jurors and judges in the trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments, and follow court rules.