01/12/2017 OWASSO/TULSA – On Monday, January 16, 2017, approximately 200 Oklahoma high school students, 60 Oklahoma attorneys and judges and numerous volunteers will gather at 
the Tulsa County Courthouse for the 3rd annual MLK Mock Trial Tournament, which is hosted by the Owasso High School Mock Trial Team. The tournament is held annually on Martin Luther King Day in honor of longtime Tulsa County District Judge Carlos Chappelle, the first African American presiding judge in Tulsa County. There will be a short ceremony honoring Judge Chappelle at 9:30.
The day will continue with 16 Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Teams competing against each other as they showcase their knowledge of the legal system, legal principals, courtroom etiquette and the law of their case. This year, the teams will be challenged in critical thinking, reasoning, public speaking and intellectual performance as they take on mock roles of attorneys and witnesses in a mock trial case concerning alleged impacts of “fracking” in Oklahoma. The competitions will be held in actual courtrooms, with Oklahoma attorneys and judges sitting as presiding judges and scoring judges.
