After a final round conducted in the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, Danielle Vlcek and Larissa Hachinski were named the winners of The John Marshall Law School 1L Moot Court Competition hosted by the Moot Court Honors Board.
The second place team was Alex Whitt and David Weiss. Judges for the competition were Professors Ardath Hamann, Joanne Hodge and Mary Nagel.
The final two teams were judged solely on their oral arguments, and “only a score of .167 points separated these two teams,” said Nagel. “It tells us that we have students who will be excellent competitors for John Marshall in future competitions.”
In the case of Figgins v. Berry, students argued First Amendment and substantive due process claims. The case, a spoof on the TV show “Glee,” dealt with a principal’s decision to forcibly remove T-shirts from a small group of students due to what was believed to be a looming school disruption and possible violence.
The 1L students had only a week to prepare for the competition. The 13 teams worked with Moot Court members and alumni learning the finer points of the argument and court techniques. Each team participated in preliminary rounds June 6 and 7. Each team argued for the side they were assigned, and then against the side they were assigned.
From those rounds, quarterfinalists were selected. That group argued again to make it to the semifinalist round, and then the two teams that competed in the final round.
Other contestants were Erika Barnas, Kurt Brna, Andrew Candela, Ray Chung, Courtney Duffy, Ryan Estes, Alison Finn, Joseph Kain, Kate Kirwan, Michael Korus, Joanna Long, Margaret Mares, Amy Neuberger, Michael Nixon, Dan Noonan, Iveliz Orellano, Grant Piechocinski, Deanna Radjenovich, Jacqueline Saldarriage, Matt Senko,Vinson Vadakara.