Coming off a successful season last year, the Oratory Prep Mock Trial teams looks to improve and continue the program’s success this season.  Last year the team won their tenth consecutive County Championship and their fourth Central Regional Championship.  The team finished second in the state, losing only to Bergen Catholic in the state finals.  The returning and new team members hope to capture another State Championship.  

This year’s case, a civil one, is about a mock trial student (Shae Simmons) that is accused of cheating.  The cheating accusation was dismissed by the County Board Appeals Committee, but suspiciously no winning student received the financial college scholarship that had previously always come along with winning the county championship.  The prosecution contests that the wrongful cheating accusation is why the county did not give out a scholarship.  The also contest that the  lack of the scholarship prevents the intended scholarship recipient (Shae Simmons) from attending the college of his choice.  While the Defense attests that the scholarship was never promised and the county’s decision not to distribute a scholarship was not related to the cheating accusation.  Ultimately, the mock trial case this year is about another mock trial case.

Now, Justin Rodriguez and Joseph D’Angelo, Mock Trial Captains and lead attorneys, hope to lead the team to a state championship.