LOS FELIZ : Marshall High Runner-Up in Mock Trial Contest

Marshall High School in Los Feliz took second place in the state Mock Trial Championships held last weekend in Sacramento.

The competition, sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundations, simulates courtroom drama by turning high school students into prosecution and defense attorneys, witnesses and defendants. This year’s case involved a 1st Amendment issue in which a white supremacist wearing a swastika was accused of assault.

Performances are judged by a panel of legal experts, which this year included California Supreme Court Judge David Eagleson. First place was won by Riverside Polytechnic School, which will compete in the national finals.

“I’ve searched all through school for something as intellectually and academically as challenging as this. Nothing equals mock trial,” said 17-year-old senior Tal Kapelner, one of 17 team members.

This is the third year that Marshall has placed first or second in the state competition, said longtime coach, government teacher David Tokofsky.