Feb. 21, 2006

Chief Justice Roberts Rules on 2006 Moot Court

BY JULIA JACOBELLI

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, along with 2nd District Court of Appeals Judges Guido Calabresi and Sonia Sotomayor, presided over the Jacob Burns Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Final, held at Lisner Auditorium Feb. 9.

Frederick Lawrence, dean of the GW Law School, praised the members of the two teams in the finals.

“I don’t let just anybody talk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” said Lawrence.

The competition has been building to this moment since September, when a hypothetical situation first was presented to 70 upper level students of the Law School. Each team of students submitted written briefs and present oral arguments for both sides of the case. The oral arguments were presented in front of practicing attorneys, as well as GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.
“I think the students did a superb job,” said Roberts following the two-hour long debate. “I think they would have given a fantastic performance in front of any judge.”

Jason Gould and Peter Farrell argued against fellow third-year law students Dennis D’Angelo and Christopher Dougherty for the final. Gould was awarded best brief, as well as best oral argument for his performance. He and Farrell also were awarded best team overall.

“The most rewarding part of the whole process was all the days and nights Peter and I spent discussing issues,” said Gould. “I can’t tell you the number of phone calls, e-mails, instant messages, and text messages we’ve sent to each other over the past five months, in addition to all the time spent at school discussing our arguments.”

Following graduation, Gould plans to work at O’Melveny & Meyers in New York City. He is starting a clerkship with the Honorable Paul C. Huck of the Southern District of Florida in September 2007.

“Yesterday was truly a day that will remain a part of me for the rest of my life,” he said. “I was glad I was able to share it with the GW community, my family, and my friends.”

David Belczyk, author of the problem debated, also is a third-year law student. After graduation, he will take a position as staff clerk with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The problem illuminated an issue involving subliminal messages in songs, and the students debated the constitutionality of a statute criminalizing such messages.

The Jacob Burns Van Vleck Moot Court Competition is the largest and longest running competition of the Moot Court Board. Past problems have dealt with issues such as the constitutionality of various searches and seizures, the scope of Congress’s legislative power under the Commerce Clause, and the extent to which a public university can restrict a student’s speech without violating the First Amendment.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu