Oyez, Oyez, Oyez

The Chief Justice of The Supreme Court of the United States calls upon the Petitioner to approach the podium and begin oral arguments.  The first advocate rises from counsel table.  Although there is great confidence in his stride, his mind is racing.  He tries his best to suppress the nervous thoughts creeping into his head.  Standing behind the podium, he stares into five sets of eyes.  The judges look eager to ask questions, hoping to find holes in his argument.  He has spent countless hours over the last two months preparing for this day, and, now, it all comes down to this.  He takes one last deep breath, and proclaims, "Mister Chief Justice, and may it please the court."

The four members of the Fall National Moot Court Team experienced this scenario first-hand the weekend of November 19 and 20.  The team traveled to Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in Lansing, Michigan, to compete in the regional competition.  The competition was scored using points from a written appellate brief and points from an oral argument.  I was lucky enough to accompany these students as a Moot Court 2L Fellow.  Throughout the semester, I helped the team members prepare for the competition.  It was such a great experience to watch these talented individuals steadily improved with each practice, and their hard work paid off in the end.

The team of Emily Jackson and Courtney Yeager excelled in the first two qualifying rounds.  After the first day, Emily and Courtney were the second seeded team in the tournament.  The next day, they skillfully argued their way into the semi-finals.  In the semi-final round, these two fantastic competitors put forth truly amazing arguments.  Ultimately, the team lost to a talented Cleveland-Marshall duo by a margin of a few points.  But, Emily and Courtney did not leave Michigan empty-handed.  Out of all of the competitors at the tournament, Emily Jackson won 2nd Best Oral Advocate and Courtney Yeager won 4th Best Oral Advocate.

The team of Rachel Sabo and Stefan Thomas also performed brilliantly.  After watching both of these competitors in action, I hope I never have to argue against either one in court.  Rachel and Stefan prevailed over teams from Ohio State and Case Western on oral argument points by large margins.  Additionally, Rachel was awarded with the Best Oralist prize at the Capital Law Honor Round, and Stefan was the only competitor at the regional tournament to score a perfect oral argument score of 50  in a preliminary round.

Traveling with the Moot Court Team to Michigan was a very rewarding experience.  These four Capital Law students were fantastic representatives of the law school.  The coaches, Professor Susan Simms and Professor Jeff Snapp, also deserve recognition.  They worked hard throughout the semester organizing practice judge panels and offering valuable advice to the competitors.  Knowing how hard these students and faculty members work has given me a greater appreciation for the Moot Court program.  I hope I will be able to compete on the team next year, and I wish all of the additional Moot Court Teams competing in the spring the best of luck!