Suffolk County Mock Trial Semifinals Conclude, Final Set for March 30

Northport, Huntington, Ward Melville and Bay Shore high schools punched their tickets to the 2026 Suffolk County High School Mock Trial regional final after semifinal matches concluded March 25, with the championship bout set for this Sunday at the Supreme Court in Central Islip.

The Honorable Eric Sachs, District Court Judge and Dean of the Suffolk Academy of Law, will preside over the March 30 final. The winner earns a trip to the New York State Finals in Albany in May.

Each of the four finalists carries its own championship narrative into Sunday. Northport is chasing its first regional title since 2021. Huntington, the 2023 county champion, is attempting to reclaim the crown it held three years ago. Ward Melville won the regional in 2024 and is bidding for back-to-back victories. Bay Shore, meanwhile, has not hoisted the trophy since 2017 and is making its deepest run in nearly a decade.

The four teams emerged from a field of 32 Suffolk County public and private high schools, with more than 500 students competing across three weeks of round-one matches. The top 16 teams advanced to three rounds of single-elimination playoffs before the field narrowed to the current four.

Defending champion East Islip High School, which claimed the 2025 regional title, did not advance to the semifinals.

The competition is co-sponsored locally by the Suffolk County Bar Association and the Suffolk Academy of Law, and is part of the New York State High School Mock Trial Program, a joint venture of the New York Bar Foundation, the New York State Bar Association, and the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program. Thousands of students statewide participate each year.

Teams typically consist of more than a dozen students who spend months preparing to argue a hypothetical case from both the prosecution and defense sides. Competitors take on roles as attorneys, witnesses, legal researchers and writers, with judges evaluating performance on factors including professionalism and legal presentation skills. The program can function as an after-school club, an elective, or part of a school's curriculum, with an attorney provided to coach each team on legal-profession matters.

Schools or community members seeking more information can contact Suffolk County Coordinator Glenn P. Warmuth, Esq., at (631) 732-2000 or gpw@stim-warmuth.com.