The Notre Dame Law School Moot Court Board hosted the fifth annual National Appellate Advocacy Tournament for Religious Freedom in a virtual format on April 10-11.
The aim of the tournament is to identify important issues in religious freedom, have students write briefs, orally argue, and defend their client’s positions on those issues. The competition is sponsored by the Law School’s Program on Church, State & Society through a generous grant from the Bradley Foundation.
The 2021 tournament awards went to:
Teams Overall
First Place Team: South Texas College of Law Houston
Second Place Team: Regent University School of Law
Third Place Team: Florida International University College of Law
Brief Awards
Best Brief: Florida International University College of Law
Second Place Brief: Regent University School of Law
Third Place Brief: South Texas College of Law Houston
Oralist Awards
Best Oralist: Marcus Leonard - Florida International University College of Law
Second Place Oralist: Gina Qualter - Chicago-Kent College of Law
Third Place Oralist: Dana DiDomenico - Regent University School of Law
Thanks to all of our students, the Notre Dame Moot Court Board, and judges who made this tournament possible. The Program on Church, State & Society thanks Jim Scales and Nichole Kanios for their organizational support, as well as Caleb Acker and Daniel Judge for drafting the case problem. We would also like to thank Natalie Piazza, NDLS 3L and Religious Freedom Tournament Director. “It was an honor to host such an esteemed panel of federal judges for our final round, and a privilege to learn about their experience on the bench during our Welcome Happy Hour. Our goal for this Tournament was to bring together a group of students, judges, and speakers who may have different views of the law, but who share a commitment to the First Amendment and an interest in grappling with challenging Free Exercise questions. It was certainly a success in that regard and I am so grateful to the teams who participated and our judges who asked such pointed, thought-provoking questions during oral argument,” said Piazza.
Notre Dame Law School plans to continue hosting this tournament. Visit Notre Dame Law School’s Moot Court webpage for more information on the program.