Mitchell Hamline School of Law will be hosting its first moot court competition as a new law school in February. The William C. McGee Civil Rights Moot Court Competition in its 31st year will be held February 18, 19 & 20, 2016. The oral argument phase of this year’s competition will take place at Hamline’s St. Louis Park location near the West End Shoppes. This year twenty teams from law schools across the country will argue the chosen civil rights case. Critical to the success of the competition have been the attorneys, law professors and judges who have volunteered to grade briefs and/or hear and score the oral arguments of the competing teams. As a result of their involvement, over the years, thousands of young lawyers have been introduced to the experience of practice in this important area of law by being engaged in research, reflection, dialogue and advocacy concerning its issues.
We are hoping that you will consider serving as an oral argument judge. Also, we’d appreciate if you would please bring the opportunity for involvement in the to the members of your law firm and any other legal professional colleagues.
If you volunteer to be an oral argument judge, it will involve approximately two hours of your time at one of the times listed below. While we only ask oral argument judges to judge one argument, we would be more than happy to sign you up for more than one if you are willing and able. The sessions available during the week are:
Thursday, February 18
12:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Friday, February 19
12:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 20
8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Oral argument judges will be provided a bench memo, the lower court opinions, a summary of significant cases and score sheets. Oral argument judges will also be provided sample questions.
This year’s competition problem considers whether Mississippi’s requirement that physicians performing abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals imposed an unconstitutional undue burden on a woman’s right to choose an abortion in Mississippi. The competition case is Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Currier, 760 F.3d 448 (5th Cir. 2014). In the actual case, a petition for certiorari is pending before the United States Supreme Court. For purposes of the competition, we asked teams to assume that a petition for certiorari was granted in this case and that it is now before the United States Supreme Court. After the problem went out to competitors, the Supreme Court granted cert in another case raising similar issues, Whole Woman’s Health, et al. v. Cole, Comm’r, TX DHS, et al.
If you or any members of your firm are able to judge the 2016 competition, please fill out this google link call or email Competition Administrator Deb Lange at 651-290-6319 or deb.lange@mitchellhamline.edu.
Thank you!