Moot Court
What is Moot Court?
- Moot Court is a course for credit offered through the Political Science Dept. (PLS 2513), but it can also be treated as an extra-curricular activity on your resume.
- Moot Court is a simulation of an appellate court proceeding–it is also known as Mock Supreme Court or Supreme Court Simulation. Students act as attorneys and make an argument on behalf of their client. The Supreme Court Justices can and will interrupt the argument with questions.
- An argument round consists of a 20 minute argument on behalf of the client who is petitioning the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the court below (the Petitioner) and a 20 minute argument on behalf of the client who would like the Supreme Court to uphold the decision of the court below (the Respondent).
- Students work with a partner, and share the 20 minute argument.
- A Moot Court tournament consists of several rounds. During some rounds, students will represent the Petitioner and during others will represent the Respondent.
- At Moot Court tournaments, students will be judged and questioned by 2-5 judges. These judges will be attorneys and real judges, and sometimes law students.
- At practice rounds at EIU, students will be judged by the Moot Court facilitator and other Moot Court students. As the Moot Court tournament approaches, local attorneys and professors will also judge.
- The 2006-2007 case, William DeNolf, et al. v. United States, involves questions of the President’s constitutional power to conduct warrantless surveillance of American citizens.
- Moot Court is part of a national organization, the American Collegiate Moot Court Association; see the ACMA website at http://falcon.fsc.edu/mootcourt/index.html
- In the United States, moot court is almost universally required in J.D. (Juris Doctorate) law school programs. Over the past decade, a number of undergraduate moot court activities have been developed in American colleges and universities.
- Moot Court is one of two government simulations offered through the Political Science Department at EIU (the other is Model Illinois Government). It reflects the Department's emphasis on providing students with experiential learning opportunities designed to complement and build on knowledge gained in the traditional classroom setting.
Moot Court meets Mondays at 4:00 in Coleman 2150. Our immediate purpose is to prepare for the Midwest Regional Tournament hosted by The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio on December 1-2. There is the opportunity to win a bid to the National Tournament, which will be held in January at Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach.
- Moot Court is open to any student who wanting to build skills in legal argument. Most, but not all, mooters hope to attend law school and/or are pre-law minors.
How Can Moot Court Benefit You?
- Build skills in speaking, argument, and thinking quickly on your feet. And, importantly, build self-confidence in these skills.
- Learn how to read and analyze Supreme Court cases and congressional statutes.
- Understand better how the Supreme Court functions.
- Better understand the important legal issues behind the President’s domestic wiretap program.
- Travel! (Most costs are covered by the University, although this cannot be guaranteed in the future because the budgetary situation is subject to change.)
- Moot Court looks great on a law school application. You will also have a leg up on fellow law students when it comes time to do Moot Court in law school.
- Develop a relationship with fellow EIU mooters, your moot court partner, and the moot court facilitator (who is also the pre-law advisor).
- If you want more information about taking the Moot Court challenge, contact the Moot Court facilitator, Karen Swenson, at 581-6964 or kbswenson@eiu.edu
