Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition Rules

Vocabulary flashcards covering governing rules, procedural rules, and evidence rules for the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition.

Rule 1

The competition is governed by the Rules of the Organization, Rules of Procedure, and Rules of Evidence, plus the Code of Ethical Conduct and Coaches Manual policies. Individual scoring judges may deduct points for rule violations at their discretion.

Rule 2

The case packet (the "Problem") may include an intro, indictment/complaint, stipulations, witness statements, exhibits, and legal authorities. Stipulations cannot be disputed at trial, witness statements cannot be altered, and only 3 witnesses per side may be called. The Problem cannot be used for coursework until after that year's State Finals concludes.

Rule 3

Witness Bound by Statement A witness is bound by their own statement and relevant exhibits. Fair extrapolations (reasonable inferences) are allowed. On direct, a question calling for info NOT in the statement/exhibits AND material to the case is objectionable under Rule 4. On cross, a witness may answer outside the statement only if consistent with it and not advantaging either side. A witness is not bound by other witnesses' statements. The Case Summary/Introduction is background only - not usable as evidence.

Rule 4(a)

An extrapolation is a fact introduced at trial that isn't in the case materials. FAIR = gives no advantage to either side. UNFAIR = materially affects testimony or a substantive issue AND gives one side an adversarial advantage.

Rule 4(b)-(c)

Unfair extrapolations should be countered via impeachment and closing argument, not just objection. On direct, attorneys cannot ask questions calling for information outside the case materials. On cross, attorneys MAY ask about the absence or omission of evidence from the case materials.

Rule 4(d)-(g)

The special objection is "unfair extrapolation" or "beyond the scope of case materials." The judge rules: no extrapolation occurred, an unfair extrapolation occurred, or it was fair. The judge's ruling is final. Points may be deducted if the extrapolation was intentional or if the objection was baseless.

Rule 5

Any student may play any witness role regardless of the student's own race, religion, ethnicity, sex, or physical attributes, even if the witness is described as having specific characteristics. Attorneys and witnesses may not make an issue of the actual student's real characteristics at trial.

Rule 6

Voir dire examination of a witness is NOT permitted in Georgia mock trial.

Rule 7(b)

A team consists of students aged 14-19 enrolled at the high school level, plus at least one attorney coach and one teacher coach.

Rule 7(c)

Each school may register up to 3 teams, each competing independently. Only one team per school may advance to State Finals (if two qualify, they combine into one, keeping the higher seed).

Rule 7(g)-(h)

Each team needs 6-12 competing members. 6 present each round: 3 attorneys plus 3 witnesses. Each attorney does ONE direct exam and ONE cross exam. One attorney gives opening, and another gives closing with rebuttal.

Rule 7(i)-(j)

Only the attorney assigned to DIRECT a witness may object during that witness's CROSS. Only the attorney assigned to CROSS a witness may object during that witness's DIRECT.

Rule 8

Mock trial is extracurricular with no organized case-related practice or meetings during regular school hours. Real-life court observation is allowed outside school hours, or during school hours only under narrow, pre-approved exceptions.

Rule 9

Teams may arrange scrimmages independently with no protection against being matched with a scrimmage opponent later in real competition. No recording of scrimmages is permitted unless both teams agree.

Rule 10

Violations of team eligibility or conduct rules go through a grievance process (Panel review, then Governing Board appeal). Discipline ranges from least to most severe: Warning, Reprimand, Point Deduction, Member Disqualification, Team Disqualification.

Rule 11

A region needs at least 6 teams; regional competition consists of 3 rounds where all teams compete in all 3. The top 2-4 teams advance to districts, with the top-ranked team named "Region Champion."

Rule 12

A district consists of 6 teams (2-3 regions combined) competing in 3 rounds. The top 2 teams advance to State Finals.

Rule 13

State Finals features 18 teams competing in 5 rounds. All compete in rounds 1-3, top 4 advance to Semifinals, and the 2 Semifinal winners advance to the Championship Round.

Rule 14

Each round, a team presents ONE side (6 students). Teams must be prepared to present both Prosecution/Plaintiff and Defense.

Rule 15(a)-(e)

Competing members handle the whole trial, including disputes. Idle members act as timekeeper or observe outside the bar. Each side must present each side of the case at least once per competition level.

Rule 15(f)

3 attorneys divide 8 total duties: Attorney 1 = Opening + Direct of W1 + Cross of W1. Attorney 2 = Direct of W2 + Cross of W2. Attorney 3 = Direct of W3 + Cross of W3 + Closing/Rebuttal.

Rule 15(g)-(h)

Prosecution/Plaintiff always goes FIRST for both Opening Statement and Closing Argument, but may reserve closing time for rebuttal.

Rule 15(k)

Each team must call its 3 designated witnesses, and both sides must examine each witness. A team cannot treat its own witness as hostile unless specified in case materials. Once excused, a witness cannot be recalled.

Rule 16

The presiding judge swears witnesses in before questioning begins using a standard oath. No religious texts or references to a deity may be used.

Rule 17(a)

Opening: 5 min/side. Direct (+Redirect): 25 min/side. Cross (+Recross): 20 min/side. Closing: 5 min/side.

Rule 17(c)-(e)

Prosecution/Plaintiff's closing rebuttal is not limited to the scope of Defense's closing. Time does not carry over between trial segments. If out of time, direct is limited to "please state your name," and the opposing side still gets to cross-examine.

Rule 18

Timekeepers track time for each trial segment using the details and forms provided in the Coaches/Team Manual.

Rule 19

The presiding judge has sole discretion whether to grant additional time, such as for objections or filibustering penalties.

Rule 20

Pretrial motions and motions for directed verdict/acquittal are NOT allowed. Permitted motions are a request for an emergency recess, and a motion to "move for compliance with the rules" if the judge materially departed from rules.

Rule 21

Sequestration of witnesses may NOT be requested; all witnesses may remain in the courtroom throughout the trial.

Rule 22

Bench conferences are NOT permitted. Objections are treated as occurring "at sidebar" without approaching the bench.

Rule 23(a)-(b)

Teams may only use materials from the case packet with no illustrative aids or altered/enlarged materials. No props, uniforms, or costumes are allowed unless specifically authorized.

Rule 23(c)

Only the team roster form and individually-admitted exhibits may be shown to the judge or panel; no exhibit notebooks or unadmitted copies are permitted.

Rule 24(a)-(c)

Coaches, non-competing members, and observers may not talk to, signal, or coach their team during a trial round (including recess) and must stay outside the bar. Only competing members participating in that round may sit inside the bar.

Rule 24(f)-(g)

Competing team members generally cannot use phones/tablets/laptops during trial, except a phone's stopwatch function for timekeeping if inspected by the judge. All devices should be off or silenced.

Rule 25

Non-competing members, coaches, and others tied to a team cannot watch other teams compete while their own team is still in competition. Eliminated teams cannot share scoresheets/observations with active teams.

Rule 26

Teams may opt out of videotaping at Regional/District levels. At State Finals, registering implies consent to recording. No one may share or post a recording of any round before the Championship Round concludes.

Rule 27

All judging panel decisions are FINAL.

Rule 28

Panel members must be attorneys, law students, college students with mock trial experience, experienced teacher coaches, or qualified individuals. Presiding judge must be an attorney; panels have 1 presiding judge plus 1-3 scoring evaluators.

Rule 29

A ballot represents which team wins an evaluator's scoresheet by highest points. A scoresheet records speaker and team points. A majority of 3 ballots wins the round. Panel may deliberate on special awards but not on individual scores.

Rule 30

4-step process: (1) Speaker Points 1-10 per segment, (2) Team Points 1-10 (no ties), (3) Final Point Total = speaker + team points (no ties), (4) Scoring Coordinator double-checks math. Evaluators may deduct points for rule violations.

Rule 31

Teams are ranked by: (1) Win/Loss Record, (2) Total Ballots, (3) Strength of Schedule, (4) Point Spread, (5) Total Points, (6) Head-to-Head (in specific ties). Power matching pairs the highest-ranked team in a bracket with the lowest-ranked team in that bracket.

Rule 32-34

Regional Round 1 is random draw with a side-switch for Round 2; Rounds 2-3 use power matching. District and State Finals follow similar random-then-power-matched patterns, preventing same-opponent rematches where possible.

Rule 35

With an odd number of teams, one team draws a bye each round, receiving an automatic win + 2 ballots with points set to the winning teams' average. No team can draw a bye more than once.

Rule 37

Disputes involving team members during a round go to the presiding judge immediately after that round via an Inside-the-Bar Dispute Form. Only team attorneys may invoke this process.

Rule 38

The presiding judge decides whether a dispute merits a hearing. If yes, each side gets a written response and a 3-minute oral presentation from a designated spokesperson. The presiding judge does NOT rule on the dispute itself.

Rule 39

Scoring evaluators may consider a rule violation or dispute's weight when scoring, but it is entirely at their discretion whether it affects the final decision.

Rule 40

Disputes involving people other than team members (or occurring outside a round) must be brought by a coach to the trial coordinator within 30 minutes after the round ends via a dispute form; the ruling is final with no appeal.

Rule 41

Teams exchange a Trial Roster Form before each round, identified only by team code (no school-identifying info), listing witnesses with correct pronouns.

Rule 42

Stipulations are automatically part of the record and already admitted into evidence; they cannot be contested at trial.

Rule 43

Stipulations, indictment/complaint and answer, and Charge of the Court are NOT read into the record by default, though a team may request the judge read a specific stipulation aloud (at the judge's discretion).

Rule 44

The case is tried to a jury, and arguments are addressed to both judge and jury. Teams should address the scoring evaluators as "the jury."

Rule 45

Attorneys who are able should stand during openings, closings, direct/cross examinations, and all objections.

Rule 46

Openings, closings, examinations, and objections must be substantially the students' own work and not scripted by coaches.

Rule 47(a)-(e)

A question that asks the witness to just agree with a conclusion the attorney drew, without eliciting new facts. Limited use may be allowed on cross at the court's discretion.

Rule 47(b)

A question capable of being understood in two or more different ways.

Rule 47(c)

A witness's answer that fails to actually respond to the question asked.

Rule 48

A question that assumes unproven facts. Exception: an expert may be asked a question based on stated assumptions reasonably supported by the evidence.

Rule 49

An attorney must lay a proper foundation before moving to admit evidence; even after that motion, the exhibit may still be objectionable on other grounds.

Rule 50

A 12-step procedure: 1) Show exhibit to opposing counsel, 2) Request to approach witness, 3) Give exhibit to witness, 4) State "I show you what's marked Exhibit ___", 5) Ask witness to identify, 6) Witness identifies only, 7) Lay foundation, 8) Offer exhibit into evidence, 9) Judge asks if objection, 10) Opposing counsel responds, 11) Judge rules, 12) Question on contents if admitted.

Rule 51

Attorneys may use notes while presenting. Witnesses may NOT use notes while testifying. Attorneys may consult each other at counsel table.

Rule 52

Redirect and recross are permitted but must follow scope restrictions in Rule 611(d) (redirect limited to matters raised on cross; recross limited to matters raised on redirect).

Rule 53(a)

No objections are allowed DURING openings/closings. Instead, after the statement, an attorney may state what they would have objected to. The judge does not rule; evaluators weigh it.

Rule 53(b)

Closing arguments must be based only on evidence and testimony actually presented and admitted at trial.

Rule 53(c)

A witness may not give evasive, non-responsive, or narrative answers on cross specifically to burn time. Raising a filibustering objection may award extra cross time and cause point deductions.

Rule 54

After the round, the judging panel gets 10 minutes total for debriefing/critique. Judges may not rule on legal merits or reveal scoresheet results/awards.

Rule 101

These evidence rules govern proceedings in the Georgia Mock Trial Competition.

Rule 102

Evidence rules should be applied to administer proceedings fairly, avoid unjustified expense/delay, help find the truth, and reach a just result.

Rule 104(a)

The court decides preliminary questions (witness qualification, privilege, admissibility of evidence) and is not bound by evidence rules when deciding threshold questions.

Rule 104(b)

If evidence's relevance depends on a fact existing, proof must support that the fact exists; the court may admit evidence on condition that proof comes later.

Rule 104(e)

This rule does not limit a party's right to introduce evidence relevant to the weight or credibility of other evidence before the jury.

Rule 105

If evidence is admissible for one purpose/party but not another, the court must, upon timely request, restrict the evidence's use and instruct the jury accordingly.

Rule 106

If a party introduces part of a writing/recorded statement, the adverse party may require the rest or a related part introduced at the same time if fairness requires.

Rule 201

The court may take judicial notice of facts not subject to reasonable dispute because they are mathematically/scientifically certain (e.g., $10 \times 10 = 100$). In civil cases, the jury must accept it as conclusive; in criminal cases, the jury may or may not.

Rule 301

In civil cases, a presumption shifts the burden of PRODUCING evidence to the opposing party, but does NOT shift the ultimate burden of proof. Not applicable in criminal cases.

Rule 401

Evidence is relevant if it has ANY tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without it, AND the fact is of consequence to the case.

Rule 402

Relevant evidence is admissible unless another rule says otherwise. Irrelevant evidence is NOT admissible.

Rule 403

The court MAY exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice, confusing issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly cumulative evidence.

Rule 404(a)(1)

Evidence of someone's character or trait is NOT admissible to prove they acted in conformity with it on a specific occasion.

Rule 404(a)(2)

Defendant may offer evidence of pertinent trait (prosecutor may then rebut); may offer victim's pertinent trait (prosecutor may rebut AND offer same trait about defendant); in homicide, prosecutor may offer victim's peacefulness trait to rebut claim victim was first aggressor.

Rule 404(b)

NOT admissible to prove character to show propensity. MAY be admitted for another purpose: motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake/accident.

Rule 405(a)-(b)

Proven via reputation or opinion testimony. Specific instances of conduct can only be used when character itself is an ESSENTIAL ELEMENT of a charge, claim, or defense.

Rule 406

A person's habit or an organization's routine practice CAN be used to show they acted consistently on a specific occasion without requiring corroboration or eyewitnesses.

Rule 407

Fixes made after an injury are NOT admissible to prove negligence, culpable conduct, product defect, or need for warning. MAY be admitted for impeachment or ownership/control/feasibility if disputed.

Rule 408

Settlement offers/negotiations are NOT admissible to prove/disprove claim validity/amount or to impeach. MAY be admitted to show bias, negate delay, or prove obstruction of a criminal investigation.

Rule 409

Offering or paying someone's medical expenses is NOT admissible to prove liability for the injury in civil cases.

Rule 410

A withdrawn guilty plea, nolo contendere plea, or statements from unfinalized plea discussions are NOT admissible against the defendant, with narrow exceptions.

Rule 411

Evidence that someone was or wasn't insured is NOT admissible to prove negligence or wrongful conduct, but MAY be admitted to show bias, agency, ownership, or control.

Rule 501

Recognized privileges excluding evidence on policy grounds: spousal communications, attorney-client, grand juror communications, state secrets, and medical/mental-health provider-patient communications.

Rule 601

Every person is competent to be a witness.

Rule 602

A witness may only testify to something if there is evidence they actually have personal knowledge of it (does not apply to expert testimony under Rule 703).

Rule 603

Every witness must declare, by oath or affirmation, that they will testify truthfully before testifying.

Rule 604

An interpreter must qualify as an expert and take an oath to translate accurately.

Rule 607

ANY party may attack a witness's credibility—even the party who originally called that witness.

Rule 608(a)

A witness's credibility can be attacked or supported through reputation or opinion testimony about truthful character. Truthful character evidence is allowed only after truthfulness has been attacked.

Rule 608(b)

Except for criminal convictions under Rule 609, specific instances of conduct cannot be proven with extrinsic evidence to attack/support truthfulness, though cross-examination questions may be allowed if relevant.

Rule 609(a)

A felony conviction (death/1+ year sentence) must generally be admitted subject to Rule 403; for defendant-witnesses, only if probative value outweighs prejudice. ANY crime involving dishonesty or false statement must be admitted regardless of punishment level.

Rule 609(b)-(e)

If 10+ years have passed since conviction/release, admissible only if probative value substantially outweighs prejudice. Pardoned/annulled convictions generally inadmissible. Convictions remain usable while on appeal.

Rule 610

A witness's religious beliefs or opinions are NOT admissible to attack or support their credibility.

Rule 611(a)

The court controls the mode and order of witness examination to make truth-finding effective, avoid wasting time, and protect witnesses from harassment.