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Moot Court Competition – Grades 9-12

Moot Court Registration | Complete form to register.

The deadline to register for the regional competition is February 25, 2024.

2023-24 Problem and Instructions

  1. The 2023-24 Law Week Moot Court Competition involves the legal concept of due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment. The problem is derived from the American Bar Association’s 2019 National Appellate Advocacy Competition Subcommittee Moot Court Competition. The questions for the competitors are (1) whether the due process principles outlined in Brady require the government to disclose exculpatory evidence before entering a plea agreement with a criminal defendant and (2) whether, to establish a violation of Brady, a criminal defendant must show that he could not have, with reasonable diligence, obtained the evidence from a source other than the government.
  2. In order to focus the argument regarding whether Anthony’s due process rights have been violated by the government, competitors are directed as follows:
    1. Whether due process principles outlined in Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) required the government to disclose the video surveillance footage before entering a plea agreement with a Anthony.
    2. Whether, to establish a violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), Anthony and his attorney must show that he could not have, with reasonable diligence, obtained the video surveillance footage.
  3. Competitors are being provided with a number of materials to help them with formulating their arguments, including briefs for both the Petitioner and Respondent, the lower court’s decision and rationale, and important supporting case law which were cited in the briefs. The cases will help the students develop their argument as well as give the lower court’s decision more context.
  4. Competitors are reminded that both team members must argue and petitioner’s and respondent’s arguments can be broken up along natural lines of progression.

The Problem

  • You have been provided with (1) the Moot Court Problem and Instructions; (2A) Petitioner’s Brief; (2B) Respondent’s Brief; (3) relevant excerpts from the lower court decisions; and (4) key cases from briefs that may be used in arguments. Please note that some secondary sources and articles may not be available and students should only use the materials provided. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Cheyenne Merrigan.
  • No outside research is permitted. You may only refer to the materials provided for you.
  • There is no writing component to the competition.

Oral Arguments

  • Teams will be randomly assigned to either Petitioner or Respondent when you check-in the day of the competition and teams should be prepared to argue either side for the competition.
  • Each team must consist of two individuals who must both argue in each of the two rounds.
  • Each team will argue twice, once on each side.
  • Each team will have twenty minutes of oral argument.
  • Petitioner may reserve up to two minutes rebuttal in their introduction which will be deducted from their twenty-minute total.
  • You will be scored on the organization of your argument, the clarity and persuasiveness of your argument, your presentation, and your responsiveness to questions.
  • You may bring materials up to the podium with you, however, these should be referred to sparingly. Excessive use of notes will be reflected in your score.

The Competition

  • Competitors should look business professional.
  • The two winning teams will compete in the Finals to be held on May 3, 2024, at the North Carolina Supreme Court.
  • You will receive feedback at the end of each round.

The Resources 

Moot Court Feedback Form | Submit feedback form by May 26, 2024