A Black mother is pulled over for littering. The body cam is off. What happens next becomes the case.

On July 14, 2026, civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Ben Crump take Williams v. Mason and the City of Bristol to trial in front of a live courtroom at UNT Dallas College of Law. The Hon. Renée Harris Toliver presides. Blerim Elmazi and Sean Daredia on demonstrative defense. Prof. Cheryl Wattley serves as Trial Coach and Faculty. A jury of eight decides.

This is not a panel. It is a working trial, performed in full, designed to teach what civil rights litigation actually looks like when the stakes are real. Attorneys earn 6.75 hours of MCLE credit, including 1.00 ethics. Law students, paralegals, and community members watch the same trial unfold.

The day closes with the Advocates’ Dinner.

Merritt Civil Rights Mock Trial

Team Members