What’s Sundown showdown?
The Sundown Showdown Invitational is Sun Devil Mock Trial’s annual fall invitational tournament. Sundown Showdown is one of the biggest tournaments on the west coast with 24-30 teams competing! Our tournament this year will be hosted November 2-3 at the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse South Tower.
Why Sundown Showdown?
Featured Teams
Sundown Showdown is one of the biggest tournaments on the West Coast. We’ve had 9 top 100 teams, 15 orcs-caliber teams, and teams from 5 different states come to compete with us at Sundown Showdown. While the list of teams changes every year, our tournament always provides strong competition for participants to learn and improve! You can see our past tab summaries here.
Professional Judges
Our wonderful judges at Sundown Showdown come from a variety of professions in law and related fields – public defenders, prosecutors, law clerks, professors, judges, and non-profit executives! Our judges are no stranger to mock trial; more than 50% of our judges have judged between 3 and 10 competitions, making our judging pool one of the most experienced in the nation. Not only do they judge the rounds and give helpful comments, but this can also be a good chance to learn and expand your network!
Jury Trials
We are happy to announce that we will be continuing to provide Jury Trials to the attendees of Sundown Showdown VI! These juries will consist of lay people who have never read the case before. They will be asked to choose a winner of the round based upon the merits of what is presented to them. While the jurors will be instructed to listen to the facts of the case, they will be instructed to evaluate the round based upon the more performative aspects of mock trial as well. This is meant to provide an outside perspective on performance, and we are excited to continue this great learning opportunity at Sundown!
Great Experience
As the host of Sundown Showdown, we value our attendants’ experience. We make sure opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies, and everything in between goes smoothly and efficiently so that you can enjoy your stay and focus on the competition. Arizona also has fantastic weather during winter time – come enjoy the sun and explore Tempe a bit while you’re here!
Our past participants have had great experiences at Sundown Showdown…
“Huge shoutout to ASU for running the best tournament my team has ever been to. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a closing ceremony start on time. Huge props!”
Mock Trial Confessions but it actually update – Confession #27057
Sun Devil Mock Trial 