Fairview High from Boulder County Wins the Colorado Mock Trial Tournament
Greeley, CO—Students from Fairview High School, from Boulder County, took first in state, defeating a team from Lakewood High School in the championship round on Saturday, March 10 at the Colorado Bar Association State Mock Trial Tournament, which is funded and supported by the Colorado Bar Association Litigation Section and the Colorado Bar Foundation. It is the first time a Boulder County school has taken the title as State Champion.
Fairview High School will advance to the National Mock Trial Championship in Reno, Nevada, May 10–12. There, they will argue a new case and compete with more than 1,000 students from the United States, U.S. territories and South Korea. Most teams participate in mock trial as an extracurricular activity run by teacher and attorney volunteers. This year, 118 teams from around the state competed in the program. The final 28 teams were top placers in nine regional tournaments held around the state in February.
This marks the 34th year of High School Mock Trials and largest tournament in history. Greeley, CO. hosted 28 teams and more than 500 attendees. Teams from across the state, including students from Boulder, Denver, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Glenwood Springs competed in the tournament.
In this year’s mock case, Corey Forsythe fell into the Poudre River and was later found dead several miles downstream. Bailey Forsythe, who was married to Corey Forsythe, claims that the couple was arguing next to the river when Corey came at Bailey with a rock. Bailey claims that Corey accidentally fell in the river and drowned. The Coroner originally ruled the death an accident, but when Bailey Forsythe tried to collect on Corey’s insurance policy, the insurance company assigned an investigator who now claims that Corey’s death was a homicide. The District Attorney agrees with the insurance investigator and has charged Bailey Forsythe with First Degree Murder.
Denver District Court Judge and Colorado Bar Association High School Mock Trial Program Co-Chair, Hon. John W. Madden IV presided over the championship round.
Other members of the championship round panel were:
Presiding - Hon. John W. Madden IV, Denver District Court
Justice William Hood, Colorado Supreme Court
Justice Richard Gabriel, Colorado Supreme Court
Hon. Robert Hawthorne, Colorado Court of Appeal
Hon. Steven Bernard, Colorado Court of Appeals
Hon. James Hartmann, Host 2018 State Tournament and Chief Judge 19th Judicial District
Kayla Dryer, Colorado Bar Litigation Section Council, Sponsor of the CBA High School Mock Trial Program
Michael Rourke, District Attorney of Weld County
About the Colorado Bar Association
The Colorado Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with more than 18,000 members — almost three-quarters of all attorneys in the state — founded in 1897. The bar provides opportunities for continuing education, volunteering and networking for those in the legal profession while upholding the standards of the bar. The bar likewise works to secure the efficient administration of justice, encourage the adoption of proper legislation and perpetuate the history of the profession and the memory of its members. For more information, visit cobar.org.