ELYRIA – Whether they took the roles of attorneys or witnesses, everyone agreed the case, while not real, didn’t bear much resemblance to the fiery dramatics and posturing of TV and movie courtrooms.

And that wasn’t much of a surprise to the students who filled the courtrooms at Elyria Municipal Court on Friday.

“We were told there wouldn’t be any ‘Law & Order’ moments,” said Emily Moreno, 16, a sophomore at Lake Ridge Academy.

But her rapid-fire questioning of a witness at one point came close to the famed TV drama and drew a sustained objection from Emerson Thacker, a 16-year-old Cuyahoga Heights junior playing an attorney across the aisle.

“You will please allow the witness to answer each question before you ask another one,” county Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Rothgery said.

It was her sharp display that helped Moreno to be named “outstanding attorney” during the two trials that took place during the 10th annual Ohio Mock Trial District Competition, which involved two teams from Lake Ridge – the Blue Team and the Green Team – as well as a team from Elyria High and a team from Cuyahoga Heights.

Most of the students agreed that the case was less exciting than the highly charged fodder of TV courtroom dramas and star-studded movies.

“Most of it is pretty low-key,” Thomas C. Topp, 15, a Lake Ridge sophomore said. Lake Ridge won Mock Trial state honors in 2008.

Diana Colegrove, 15, another Lake Ridge sophomore, portrayed Alex Leslie, a senior at the fictional Erehwon High School whose creation of an blog that involved her European History teacher led to controversy, a shutdown of the school’s wireless network and a 10-day suspension for Leslie.

The case’s key points ranged from whether the girl’s blog actually caused a significant disruption to the school and students’ education and her teacher’s reputation. Attorneys for Leslie also argued that her suspension and subsequent shutdown of the school’s wireless network to prevent what the school’s lawyers justified as “a foreseeable risk of (future) disruptions” were unwarranted.

Leslie’s defense team argued that none of these considerations – which it concluded were all overreactions – outweighed Leslie’s First Amendment free speech rights.

The Lake Ridge Blue Team, which ended up winning top honors, met twice a week for about 2½ hours each to learn the case from prepared materials. Their Cuyahoga Heights High counterparts watched videos of previous state champion Mock Trial proceedings to help them prepare, Thacker said.

At the end of the trial, Rothgery praised both teams for their preparation and presentation of the case.

“I was very impressed with some of the work I saw here today,” Rothgery said. “It was well-done legally and procedurally. I’ve seen some lawyers who have not done as well.”

The panel also noted the “excellent” cross examinations by Topp and Moreno.

“When you are able to ask leading questions, you limit the other side,” Rothgery said. “You hold the power.”

Colegrove won “outstanding witness” honors for her portrayal of Leslie.

Under Mock Trial rules, verdicts are not issued. The Lake Ridge Blue Team will move on to the regional contest Feb. 26 at the Lorain County Justice Center based on a cumulative score for multiple presentations of the same case. State finals will be March 11 to 13 in Columbus.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

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