Carnegie Mellon University
April 05, 2021

Verdict in on CMU Mock Trial

Team courts success while sequestered

By Michael Henninger

Jason Maderer
  • Marketing & Communications
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The courtroom behind the judge flickered slightly, a digital Zoom background cloaking his true surroundings. From her Charlotte, North Carolina home, defense attorney Eleanor Xiao watched the proceedings intently on her computer as opposing counsel questioned a witness. In a regular courtroom, she would have maintained the professional posture of an actual attorney. But from the comfort of her own home, Xiao, a member of Carnegie Mellon University's Mock Trial, pinched her fingers off-camera to steady her nerves as she prepared to interject.

mock-trial-1000x1000-min.jpg"Objection!" Xiao said, speaking over her opponent. After hearing each side's arguments about the legal relevancy of the testimony in question, the judge sustained the objection. And then two more that followed. Xiao essentially struck that witness' testimony from the record, a win for her side.

Those wins piled up this year for CMU Mock Trial. One CMU team, Team B, advanced to this year's American Mock Trial Association's (AMTA) Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS) by placing third in a AMTA Regional tournament, which occurred online due to COVID-19. The team also won the Spirit of AMTA award at regionals.

CMU Mock Trial has existed for more than 15 years and is operated and coached entirely by students. The group is split into two trial teams, A and B, with nine members each and requires no previous experience to try out for a spot. Members of the team can take on roles as both a lawyer and a witness in the same trial. 

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