Mock Trial
The 2026 Honorable Edward P. Moffat Madera County Mock Trial brought together outstanding student advocates for four days of courtroom competition held January 15, 20, 22, and February 11. After four rounds of trials, Matilda Torres High School captured the county title and will represent Madera County at the California Mock Trial event in Oakland. The championship round featured Matilda Torres’ prosecution team against Madera South High School’s defense team—marking the first time two Madera Unified schools advanced to the final round. Additional participating schools included Madera High School, Minarets High School, and Yosemite High School.
Students argued the fictional case People vs. Fromholz, taking on the roles of attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, and clerks while also presenting a pretrial argument focused on the Fourth Amendment. In addition to the team championship, Madera County will send two courtroom artists—Eleina Cortez and Beyonce Ramos of Madera South High—and two courtroom journalists—Lily Hendricks of Yosemite High and Yasmin Lopez of Madera South High—to compete at the state level. Trials were presided over by Judges Brian Enos, Ernest LiCalsi, Katherine Rigby, Miguel Valdovinos, and Sosi Vogt, with local attorneys scoring student performances.
