03/03/2026

Students Head to Ohio Mock Trial State Finals to Argue Fourth Amendment Rights

COLUMBUS (March 3, 2026) - Nearly 300 Ohio high school students are back in court, bringing them one step closer to representing Ohio at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in May. Of the 250 teams that participated in the Regional Competition in February, 27 teams will advance to the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s (OCLRE) 43^rd Annual Ohio Mock Trial State Competition, which will take place in Columbus from March 12 to 14.

Teams from the following schools advanced from district and regional competitions to vie for the state championship: 

• Archbishop Alter High School (Montgomery County) 
• Archbishop Hoban High School (Summit County) 
• Batavia High School (Clermont County) 
• Columbus School for Girls (Franklin County) 
• Cuyahoga Heights High School (Cuyahoga County) 
• Danville High School (Knox County) 
• Fayetteville Perry High School (Brown County) 
• Granville High School (Licking County) 
• Indian Hill High School (Hamilton County) 
• Kenston High School (Geauga County) 
• Marysville Early College High School (Union County) 
• Mason High School (Warren County) 
• North Royalton High School (Cuyahoga County) 
• Orange High School (Cuyahoga County) 
• Perkins High School (Erie County) 
• Perrysburg High School (Wood County) 
• Reading Community High School (Hamilton County) 
• Solon High School (Cuyahoga County) 
• Springfield High School (Clark County) 
• St. Xavier High School (Hamilton County) 
• Turpin High School (Hamilton County) 
• Valley Local Schools (Scioto County) 
• Warren High School (Washington County) 
• West Jefferson High School (Madison County) 
• Worthington Kilbourne High School (Franklin County) 

Students will argue both sides of a motion hearing that combines forensic science, emerging technology and Fourth Amendment questions. The case begins with the fictitious 2000 murder of 24-year-old Caleb “CJ” Jansen, a warehouse worker found strangled in his apartment. A violent struggle left DNA under the victim’s fingernails—but no match was found, and the case went cold. That is, until 25 years later, when high school student Frankie Moyo uploaded their DNA to a genealogy site for extra credit—and unknowingly triggered a chain of events that lead police straight to a suspect. 

But this isn’t an open-and-shut case. Before trial, the defense files a motion to suppress the genetic genealogy evidence, arguing that the police violated the Fourth Amendment by using a third party’s DNA without a warrant. The court must now decide: Is this powerful new investigative tool a breakthrough—or a constitutional overreach?  

Each Ohio Mock Trial team consists of five to twelve students who assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses to present both sides of an original, unscripted case based on an important constitutional issue. Each team competes in two trials against opposing teams. More than 1,000 legal professionals serve as volunteer judges, competition coordinators and team advisors. Ohio Mock Trial is Ohio’s largest high school academic competition and among the largest high school mock trial programs in the nation. 

The 2026 State Competition will take place over the course of three days, beginning on March 12 and ending with the Semifinal and State Championship rounds held at the Supreme Court of Ohio on March 14. The 2026 state champion team will represent Ohio at the National High School Mock Trial Competition on May 7-9 in Des Moines, IA, hosted by the Iowa State Bar Association. 

OCLRE is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system. OCLRE is sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio Attorney General, Ohio State Bar Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation. The Ohio Mock Trial program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation. For more information about OCLRE and its programs, visit www.oclre.org.

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