Posts by Heather Neumann

For a small group of speech and debate competitors, the decision to try Moot Court is a no-brainer. Constitutional law? They eat that for breakfast. For others, it’s not quite that easy. Moot Court seems scary––lawyers, hard questions, dense legal questions, no prep time. What, they say, could possibly justify me venturing into a new, unexplored world? Here are three reasons to do Moot Court this year.

(1) Everyone Who Does It, Loves It

My friend Josh DeVlieger won numerous speaker awards and tournament victories in Team Policy––including placing first at regionals––during his time in Region VII. But TP wasn’t his favorite event. It was Moot Court. He’s not alone. Perhaps it’s the quality of judges, the personable format (getting asked questions helps judges understand your arguments better), or the subject matter––but regardless of the reason, many top competitors will admit that Moot was their all-time favorite event. It should be telling that almost every LD or TP finalist in the last few years has competed in Moot.

(2) It’s the Academic Side of Debate!

Let’s face it: debate isn’t all that academic. Research mostly consists of reading a few newspaper articles, pieces in The Atlantic, and proposed bills. Debate is great for research skills––but it’s not great for improving your academic chops. Moot Court, on the other hand, is an excellent way of preparing you for a rigorous college education. Rather than reading a dozen random journalism pieces, you read one case. You dive deep into it. You get to understand the dense legal writing. You grapple with the arguments. Not only do you get a head start on your legal understanding, but as a bonus, you also increase your reading comprehension!

(3) Understanding the Supreme Court

Many Americans are quick to criticize the Supreme Court for making decisions with which they disagree. But can we criticize that which we do not understand? For example, how would you respond to Justice Sotomayor’s question during oral argumentation in the abortion case Dobbs v Jackson where she argued that the Court ought not overturn a watershed case? Moot Court gives students a much more comprehensive understanding of the Supreme Court: the legal terminology, precedent, caselaw, jurisprudence, the Constitution etc. In an age where hot-button cases dominate public dialogue, we need to be informed on our rights and our protections.

We genuinely care about getting more people involved in Moot Court and giving them the skills to compete well.

More About Ethan Tong… Ethan qualified to Nationals in Moot Court both years he competed, earning an 8th place Oral Advocate award at the 2019 National Championship. He and his partner were the top seed at the 2019 Dallas National Mixer, at which he won a 2nd place Oral Advocate award. He and his partner also placed 2nd at the Illinois National Mixer that same year.He is currently a senior at Hillsdale College, studying philosophy and religion. He has participated on Hillsdale’s Mock Trial team and been twice awarded an All-Regional Witness award. Moot Court has been Ethan’s favorite public speaking event.