(Press Release) — In the morning of March 5, 2026, eighty students from seven high schools across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, accompanied by two dozen teachers and attorney-coaches, descended upon the United States Courthouse at Gualo Rai, Saipan, to kick off the two-day 26th Annual CNMI High School Mock Trial Competition.
After brief welcoming remarks by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, the competition began in earnest.
The seven teams, one from each high school — Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School, Kagman High School, Marianas High School, Mount Carmel School, Saipan International School, Saipan Southern High School, and Tinian High School — faced off against each other in anonymized, unique pairings designed to give each team the opportunity to compete as the plaintiff and the defense in this year’s fictitious civil case at least once per side, experience presenting their cases in the U.S. courthouse’s state of the art main courtroom, and be scored by as many of the nearly two-dozen practicing attorneys and judges volunteering their time across four preliminary rounds.
After the last round concluded in the evening of March 5, all participants returned the following morning for the announcement of the top two finalist teams proceeding to the championship round to determine which finalist would have the honor of representing the Commonwealth at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, in May 2026.
Magistrate Judge and Clerk of Court Heather Kennedy, as mock trial coordinator, first praised the hard work and masterful performances of all students in the previous day’s rounds, as reflected by the positive comments from judges and scorers, before announcing the finalists in the main courtroom and conducting the coin toss to determine the side each finalist team would compete as in the final round.
The team from Marianas High School, from Saipan, was assigned the plaintiff’s side, representing the parents of a high school sophomore who died after using an e-cigarette, while the team from Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School, from Rota, played the defense side, representing the smoke shop alleged to have unlawfully sold e-cigarette products to the deceased sophomore.
Chief Judge Manglona presided over the championship round in the packed main courtroom, with the teams presenting their cases and making their arguments to a scoring jury of seven attorneys. The championship round was also broadcast to parents and supporters of the competitors in an overflow room at the U.S. courthouse and live streamed on the District Court’s YouTube channel.
After the conclusion of the exciting, dramatic championship round, the main courtroom was packed once more for the awards ceremony.
The first five awards presented were based on the students’ performance during the four preliminary rounds, four of which went to individuals, and the last went to the team selected by the competitors themselves.
The final three awards were given to the first, second, and third place winners. The following students and teams were recognized for their outstanding performances in this year’s competition:
• Best Plaintiff Witness. Jesse Lin of Kagman High School and Jessiana B. Tenorio of Mount Carmel School, tied for the top-scoring witness on the plaintiff’s side, as selected by the scoring jurors across the four preliminary rounds.
• Best Defense Witness. Mercy Anne Christian of Tinian High School, the top-scoring witness on the defense side, as selected by the scoring jurors across the four preliminary rounds.
• Best Plaintiff Attorney. Qihan Wang of Saipan International School, selected by the scoring jurors as the student who best presented their case on the plaintiff’s side across the four preliminary rounds.
• Best Defense Attorney. Carlos A. Calvo of Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School, selected by the scoring jurors as the student who best presented their case on the defense side across the four preliminary rounds.
• Professionalism Award. Saipan Southern High School, selected by the competing teams as the team that best exemplified respect, courtesy, and integrity throughout the competition, excelling not only in the courtroom but also demonstrating sportsmanship and camaraderie outside of the courtroom.
• Third Place. Mount Carmel School, for obtaining the third-highest score among the seven teams across the four preliminary rounds.
• Second Place/First Runner-Up. Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School, for obtaining a score across the four preliminary rounds that placed it as one of the top two teams and obtaining the second-highest score as scored by the seven jurors in the championship round.
• 26th Annual CNMI High School Mock Trial Champion. Marianas High School, for obtaining a score across the four preliminary rounds that placed it as one of the top two teams and obtaining the highest score as scored by the seven jurors in the championship round. As the winner of this year’s championship, Marianas High School will represent the Commonwealth at the National Championship in May 2026.
The District Court congratulates all awardees and commends all students for their dedication to learning, practicing, and mastering the skills necessary for putting on a compelling mock trial case, and wishes the team from Marianas High School the best of luck at the national championship.
The District Court further thanks the teachers, attorney-coaches, volunteers, and sponsors for making this competition possible, and specially thanks the Northern Marianas Bar Association and the CNMI Public School System for their partnership in hosting this year’s competition.
The program for the competition, which lists participants, volunteers, sponsors, and acknowledgments, is available on the information page for the competition here: <https://www.nmid.uscourts.gov/news/2026-cnmi-high-school-mock-trial-competition-information>.
The livestream of the championship round and awards ceremony is available on the U.S. District Court’s YouTube channel at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXNSdq1lZZ0>.
